Education revolution a success, says PM

Following the brilliant results of students who sat GCE Advanced level and CAPE examinations, this year, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has declared the Education Revolution to be a success.{{more}}

The Prime Minister was supported in his declaration by Senior Education Officer Marcus Caine, who in his remarks at a press conference held on Tuesday, 9th September, said: “I defend the education revolution… it works because it is just. It has thrown off the shackles of injustice that relegated the children of the majority to a third class education…”.

In her remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Laura Browne announced the national scholars and holders of exhibitions, awards and bursaries. Browne stated that the 6 national scholars each scored in excess of 80 per cent in their examinations, with the top performer, Jason Haynes, scoring 86.8 per cent. She also stated that the 9 national exhibitions were awarded to students who gained between 70 per cent to 79 per cent, 5 special awards – 67.9 per cent to 69 per cent and 4 bursaries – 66.6 per cent to 67.3 per cent.

Prime Minister Gonsalves, who appeared to be ecstatic with the results, pointed out that the results this year were so vastly improved that last year’s student who had placed 10th would have been relegated to the 24th position this year.

Senior Education Officer Marcus Caine shared that this year’s pass rate of 61 per cent was a 2 per cent increase on that of 2007, which translates to an extra 900 subject passes. Caine also reflected on the quality of these subject passes and informed the public that the numbers of top grades achieved had increased also.

The one fly in the ointment, according to Prime Minister Gonsalves, is the gender imbalance of the top performers. He relayed that of the 24 top students, only 6 were male. “We must redress this…”. Gonsalves further highlighted the problems being encountered in the recruitment of Math and Science teachers – something he said his Government is already addressing. “For the ULP, education is not a policy, it’s a passion!” he affirmed.

In her remarks, Susan Dougan, Chief Education Officer, spoke of the results of the Caribbean Certificate Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) examinations taken by third formers and said that they were “…way beyond our expectations.” Newly introduced, there were 24 institutions entering candidates, and the overall pass rate was 72.94 per cent. Dougan explained that this new exam is geared to provide students with a foundation for further education and training and is done in preparation for the Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME). She also noted that it provides students with a set of generic skills that they will use in the workplace. “It expands the opportunity for entry level introduction into employment,” she relayed.

Prime Minister Gonsalves further announced that students who have passed at least five CXC subjects and those who have passed two A’ level subjects (plus Communication Studies) should have begun to receive their $500 cheques yesterday, 11 September. He also made mention of St. Vincent and the Grenadines being ranked number one again this year, in terms of student enrolment at the University of the West Indies for non-campus countries – a position we have held since 2005. Gonsalves reiterated that it is the Government’s target to have at least one university graduate in every household by 2025.(JSV)