Gov’t pulls the plug on paying CSEC exams fees for local students

Effective immediately, local students sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) will have to do so at their own expense.

“The ministry has been covering the cost of all CSEC exams written in the territory for the last five years. Effective this year, we intend to adjust that policy and revert to having students cover the cost for all exams,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Dr Marcia Potter in a recent address.

Reasons behind the move are not yet clear. But, while responding to BVI News queries via text message on Thursday, Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley promised to provide additional information soon.

More changes coming

In the meantime, Dr Potter said the aforesaid ‘adjustment’ where CXC’s are concerned was one of the many changes that are coming to the education system.

“We have been addressing various aspects of the education system in recent years. However, I have been told that the last full review was conducted in 2000 by a working group commissioned through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),” Dr Potter stated.

She said the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) made funding available to the BVI this year for the territory to conduct a mid-year review of the education sector strategy, 2012 – 2021.

“Following this, the ministry will be seeking to have a full review of the entire education system with the help of UNESCO. In fact, the mid-year review by OECS, which has already begun, will serve as groundwork towards the full review of the system. All of this is important as we move forward in our quest to develop the Territory as well as realize the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” she added.

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