Guyana to host CXC governance meetings

Guyana will host the annual governance meetings of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on December 5 and 6 , 2013 at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown.{{more}}

The meeting of the School Examinations Committee (SEC) will be held on Thursday, December 5 and the 45th meeting of Council, CXC’s highest decision-making body, will be held on Friday, December 6.

Among the major agenda items for discussion at the Council meeting are the report on the administration of the 2013 examinations, the Registrar’s report to Council, the 2014 budget, and CXC Strategic Plan and Priorities 2014 – 2020.

The presentation ceremony for the most outstanding candidates in the May/June 2013 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, December 5, at the National Cultural Centre. During the ceremony, which also marks the official opening of the Council meeting, awards will be presented to 18 students from across the region, 10 for outstanding performance at CAPE and eight for outstanding performance at CSEC. The awardees come from Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

Honourable Priya Manickchand, Minister of Education, will deliver the feature address at the ceremony and declare the Council meeting open.

Professor E. Nigel Harris, chair of CXC; Dr Didacus Jules, registrar of CXC, and Miss Yogeeta Persaud of Anna Regina Secondary School, Guyana, the Most Outstanding CSEC Candidate Overall, will also address the ceremony.

Professor Harris, vice chancellor of the University of the West Indies, will present scholarship letters to the eight CSEC awardees from UWI. The awardees will be able to take up the scholarships after completion of CAPE or an associate degree.

During the ceremony, Sheena Daley, Caribbean regional director for Pearson Education, will present the first Pearson CAPE Humanities Award to Ms Tasanique Henry of Hampton High School, Jamaica.

The regional top awardees and a CXC delegation will pay courtesy calls on His Excelleny Donald Ramotar, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana; Honourable Samuel Hinds, Prime Minister of Guyana; Honourable Priya Manickchand, Minister of Education; and David Granger, MP, Leader of the Opposition.

The awardees will also have opportunities to interact with students from schools in Guyana and visit places of interest including: Kaieteur Falls, Baganara Resort, Fort Island and Parika.

The Council comprises representatives of 16 participating countries, the University of the West Indies, University of Guyana and the teaching profession. The Council deals with finance and administrative issues, while the SEC deals with technical and examination issues.