National average improves; Mathematics average declines
EDUCATION OFFICIALS in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), continue to lament the poor performance by students who sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Mathematics examination.
Based on the information presented by Minister of Education, Curtis King from the inception of the exam up to present, SVG has returned below average results.
“We started writing CSEC examination in 1979…this is 45 years after, and you can basically count on one hand the number of times we in St Vincent and the Grenadines have scored over 50 percent average in Mathematics,” Minister King said on the September 4,2024 edition of VC3’s RoundTable Talk.
The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) officially released its 2024 May/June results last month, with data showing that the regional average for Mathematics fell to 36 percent. In SVG, the national average for Mathematics is 31.5 percent.
King said that out of the times when there was an above 50 percent average in Mathematics for the last 45-plus years, two occasions were when the CXC allowed students to sit a modified exam due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the eruption of La Soufriere Volcano.
For those two years, 2020 and 2021, the national overall average was higher as well- above 81 percent. This year’s overall national average is 73.6 percent, an increase on the 2023 national average of 72.16 percent.
Minister King also said that from conversations with other Education Ministers in the region, questions have been raised about the examination and possible flaws in the testing instrument.
“I’ve had calls from Ministers of Education in some countries, and the argument is that if we have been doing so bad at this exam for so long, then there must be something wrong with the instrument.”
Despite these concerns, he admitted that there needs to be a thorough analysis of how the Mathematics curriculum is administered, especially at the primary level in SVG.
“We have to look at our end- what is the problem with our Math education? Is the issue teachers are not comfortable; not enough resources to deliver the curriculum?” he queried,
adding that a number of strategies have been employed to improve test scores.
The preliminary results released by the Ministry of Education show that approximately 73.60 percent of the subject entries were awarded Grades One to Three. The corresponding figure in 2023 was 72.16 per cent.
This year, 17.2 percent of the passes were at Grade One level; 40.67 per cent at Grade II; and 42.13 percent at Grade III. The figures in 2023 were 17.57 per cent at Grade One; 38.48 percent at Grade II; and 43.95 percent at Grade III.
The subjects with the highest percentage pass were Theatre Arts with 100 percent; Physical Education and Sport – 97.47 percent; Office Administration – 95.81 percent; and Industrial Technology- 93.75 percent.
The subjects with the lowest percentage pass were Mathematics, 31.60 percent; Spanish, 46.31 percent; Textiles Clothing and Fashion, 51.79 percent; and Geography, 52.58 percent.
The top five performing schools for 2024 were Girls High School with an average of 96.59 percent the St Vincent Grammar School, 91.15 percent; St Martin’s Secondary School, 90.37 percent; St Joseph Convent Kingstown, 85.54 percent; and Thomas Saunders Secondary School, 82.79 percent.
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