Virtual Press Conference: Suspension of CXC® Syllabuses
Summary
TLDRThe Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) held a press conference to discuss the proposal to suspend certain syllabuses due to low enrollment and resource challenges. The council, along with regional ministers, agreed to continue offering subjects like Agricultural Science and Green Engineering, emphasizing the importance of STEM education for regional development. They highlighted the need for marketing, teacher training, and clear career pathways to boost demand for these programs, which are critical for economic growth and sustainability.
Takeaways
- 📢 The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) held discussions with regional ministers on the proposal to suspend some syllabuses.
- 👤 Dr. Wayne Wesley, CEO and Registrar of the Examinations Council, provided an update on the discussions with regional ministers.
- 📚 The subjects under consideration for syllabus suspension include Cape Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology, Cape Green Engineering, CC Agricultural Science, and CC Industrial Technology.
- 🤝 The Ministers of Education expressed their commitment to finding a path forward and pledged support for CXC and direct communication.
- 📉 There is a decline in student enrollment in some subjects, with some member states having no students registered at all for certain subjects.
- 🌱 The CXC will continue to offer Agricultural Science, Green Engineering, Industrial Technology, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology.
- 🚀 A new generation of technology and science programs has been rolled out by CXC, including subjects like Biotechnology, Digital Media, and Financial Services.
- 📈 There is a need for a collective regional marketing effort to promote STEM and STEAM education, which are critical for the region's economic growth and sustainable development.
- 🏫 Concerns were raised about the availability of resources, including teachers, labs, and equipment, necessary for the effective delivery of these programs.
- 📉 Some subjects are not considered requirements for entry into university programs, affecting their relevance and demand.
- 🤔 There are concerns about the future demand for certain subjects like Green Engineering, given the lack of current student enrollment and potential career pathways.
Q & A
What was the main purpose of the press conference?
-The main purpose of the press conference was to provide an update on the discussions with regional ministers regarding the proposal to suspend some syllabuses and to discuss the Caribbean Examinations Council's (CXC) position and future actions.
Who were the key speakers at the press conference?
-The key speakers at the press conference were Dr. Wayne Wesley, the CEO and Registrar of the Examinations Council, Dr. Eduardo Ali, the Pro Registrar and Deputy CEO, and Dr. Nicole Manning, the Director of Operations.
What subjects were being considered for syllabus suspension?
-The subjects being considered for syllabus suspension included Cape Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology, Cape Green Engineering, CC Agricultural Science, the double award, and CC Industrial Technology with the mechanical option.
What was the outcome of the meeting with the Ministers of Education regarding the syllabus suspension?
-The outcome was that the Caribbean Examinations Council will continue to offer the mentioned subjects, and there was an agreement on the need for a collective regional marketing thrust to promote priority subject areas in STEM/STEAM education and climate-smart agriculture.
What steps will be taken to promote the new generation technology and science programs?
-Governments will work in partnership with CXC to build demand for these new programs to ensure their cost viability, and there will be a collective marketing effort to promote the subjects' relevance to the region's economic competitiveness.
What challenges were identified in the delivery of these programs?
-Challenges included the availability of teachers, resources in labs, outdated plant and equipment, lack of practical experience for students due to inadequate facilities, and a lack of qualified teaching professionals to teach the broad syllabus.
How did the ministers address the issue of low enrollment in certain subjects?
-The ministers agreed on the need for better marketing and communication of the relevance of these subjects to the region's economy and sustainable development, as well as defining clear career pathways for students.
What actions will CXC take to support the integration of new subjects into the curriculum?
-CXC will conduct teacher orientation workshops through its Professional Learning Development Institute to sensitize the regions to the available syllabuses and what is required for their integration into schools.
What is the historical registration data for the subjects under consideration for suspension?
-The historical data showed a decline in enrollment for some subjects, with some member states having no students registered at all for certain subjects over the last five years.
How will CXC ensure that the communication protocols align with the Ministers of Education's expectations?
-CXC is committed to ensuring its communication protocols provide the Ministers of Education with greater visibility of high-level policy recommendations for decision-making.
What is the future outlook for the subjects that were considered for suspension?
-The ministers have agreed that these subjects are a priority, and based on research and data, CXC hopes to see an increase in demand for these subjects, coupled with marketing efforts and defined career pathways for students.
Outlines
📚 Update on Syllabus Suspension Discussions
The video script begins with an introduction to a press conference, where regional journalists are thanked for attending. The focus is on an update regarding discussions with regional ministers about the proposal to suspend certain syllabuses. Dr. Wayne Wesley, CEO of the Examinations Council, and other officials join the meeting to provide further details. The meeting with ministers has resulted in an agreement to continue offering specific subjects, such as Agricultural Science and various technology courses, while also emphasizing the need for a regional marketing effort to promote STEM education. The council is committed to improving communication with the Ministers of Education.
🤔 Addressing Low Enrollment in Certain Subjects
In this segment, the discussion revolves around the low patronage of some courses and the measures to be taken to encourage more enrollment. Dr. Eduardo Ali expands on the challenges faced by the education system, such as the availability of teachers, labs, and equipment. The conversation highlights the importance of marketing the relevance of these subjects to the region's economic competitiveness and the government's role in driving an economy based on climate change resilience and agricultural food security. The need for better resources and facilities to support these programs is also emphasized.
🌱 Introducing New Generation Technology and Science Programs
Dr. Wesley outlines the introduction of 12 new subjects at the CAPE level by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), including Agricultural Science, entrepreneurship, and biotechnology. The aim is to meet the region's demand for these subjects and ensure that the supply is adequate. The council is also looking at historical registration numbers to understand the decline in enrollment and the impact of the suspension of certain subjects.
📉 Enrollment Decline and Future Concerns for Specific Subjects
This paragraph delves into the specifics of the decline in student enrollment for certain subjects, such as mechanical engineering technology and Agricultural Science. Detailed statistics are provided to illustrate the low numbers of students registered across various territories. The ministers express concerns about the potential lack of skilled individuals in the future for subjects like green engineering, and the importance of defining clear career pathways for students is discussed.
📈 Strategies for Marketing and Integrating New Subjects
The final paragraph addresses the strategies employed by CXC to market new subjects and support their integration into the syllabuses of different islands. Teacher orientation workshops and professional learning development initiatives are mentioned as ways to familiarize educators with the new syllabuses. The need for creative solutions to provide the necessary resources for these programs is also highlighted, along with the commitment of governments to invest in STEM education.
🔚 Concluding the Press Conference
The script concludes with a wrap-up of the press conference, thanking all participants, including the executives and journalists. The emphasis is on the importance of the discussions and the commitment to work together for the educational and human capital development of the region.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Syllabuses
💡CXC
💡STEM Education
💡Climate-Smart Agriculture
💡Curriculum Suspension
💡Educational Imperatives
💡New Generation Technology and Science Programs
💡Registration Numbers
💡Policy Recommendations
💡Human Capital Development
💡Marketing Thrust
Highlights
Update on discussions with regional ministers regarding the proposal to suspend some syllabuses.
Dr. Wayne Wesley, CEO and Registrar of the Examinations Council, provides a brief on the meeting outcomes.
Committee includes Dr. Eduardo Ali, Deputy CEO, and Dr. Nicole Manning, Director of Operations.
Meeting with Ministers of Education to address concerns over syllabus suspension for specific subjects.
Agreement to continue offering Agricultural Science, Green Engineering, and other specified technology subjects.
Introduction of new generation technology and science programs to meet regional demands.
Need for collective regional marketing to promote STEM and STEAM education for economic growth.
CXC's commitment to better communication protocols for high-level policy recommendations.
Trey Gra from The Nation inquires about strategies to encourage participation in less patronized courses.
Dr. Edward Ali discusses factors affecting program delivery, such as teacher availability and lab resources.
Concerns raised about outdated facilities, lack of practical experience, and qualified teaching professionals.
Dr. Wesley highlights policy implications for ministers of education on challenges in subject offerings.
Abigail Hedley from SABRIC News asks about the new technology and science programs rolled out by CXC.
Listing of 12 new subjects including Entrepreneurship, Performing Arts, and Biotechnology.
Concerns about the impact of suspended courses on student enrollment and future job prospects.
Dr. Ali provides historical data on student registration numbers for affected subjects.
Discussion on the importance of defining career pathways and labor market intelligence for student success.
Samantha Simon queries CXC's actions in marketing new subjects and supporting their integration into syllabuses.
Dr. Wesley outlines CXC's efforts in teacher orientation workshops and communication with ministries of education.
Transcripts
good afternoon everyone to all of our
regional journalists thank you for
joining us this afternoon today we're
coming to you to provide an
update on the discussions we've had with
the regional ministers on the proposal
to suspend some of our
syllabuses so we've met with the
ministers this morning and as promised
we have come now to update you I'm going
to have Dr Wayne Wesley chief executive
officer and registar of the examinations
Council provide a brief and we also have
joining us Dr Eduardo Ali for registar
and Deputy CEO as well as Dr Nicole
Manning director of operations I'll now
turn it over to Dr
Wesley thank you very much poan for that
introduction and let me say good
afternoon to members of the press and
welcome to CXC headquarters with me on
the platform are members of the
executive management team of the
Caribbean examinations Council we have
Dr Eduardo Ali to my left and we have Dr
Nicole Manning director of
operations uh to my right Dr Eduardo Ali
is actually the pro registr and Deputy
CEO of the Caribbean examinations
Council and we do have Mrs sherid dandz
our director of corporate services so
welcome to the the Caribbean
examinations
Council we just completed a meeting with
Ministers of Education from across the
region to discuss the regional concerns
arising from the contemplation of
syllabus suspension for the following
subjects Cape electrical and electronic
engineering technology Cape green
engineering CC Agricultural Science the
double award and CC industrial
technology the mechanical
option the meeting demonstrated our
shared commitment to find a critical
path forward on this matter given the
pressing education and human capacity
development imperatives facing the
region the Ministers of Education were
forthright in their positions as well as
pledging their support for cxe and for
more direct lines of communications with
the
council I therefore want to announce our
agreed positions emerging from the
meeting as
follows one the Caribbean examinations
Council will continue to offer to the
region agricultural SCI science double
major green
engineering industrial technology the
mechanical option and electrical and
electronic engineering
technology two CXC has rolled out a menu
of new generation technology and science
programs some are not yet at the desired
demand governments will work with CX
in a partnership in building demand for
these new programs to enable their cost
viability three accordingly today's
deliberations with the Ministers of
Education reinforced the need for a
collective regional marketing thrust to
promote the priority subject areas in
stem or steam education and climate
smart agriculture which are considered
critical for the economic growth and
sustainable development of the region
and finally CXC is committed to ensuring
its Communications protocols Accord the
Ministers of Education greater line of
sight of high level policy
recommendations for decision
making in close closing let me State for
the record that the Caribbean
examinations council is deeply committed
to the educational and human capital
development of the region and we will
work in partnership with all our
stakeholders to achieve our vision to
advance The Fortunes of our region
ladies and gentlemen thank you
at this time we will open the floor to
questions from our media
attendant and what I'd like you to do is
to raise your hand using the zoom
feature and then we'll be able to turn
it over to each of the persons who have
a question and of course we would
appreciate if you state your name and
the media house that you're with um when
you're posing your
questions yes get you may go ahead just
just turn the mic on so
right no turn on when you see the red
light it's on there you go good
afternoon everyone Trey gra from the
nation you mentioned that some of the
courses weren't as uh well patronized as
you would like umide of the marketing
what else will you be doing to try to
encourage more people to get on board
with those courses well that's a very
good uh important question I I think
outside of the marketing some of the
concerns raised with us by stakeholders
across the region would have been that
of the resources available to the
education system to
facilitate uh the delivery of these
programs some of the concerns would have
been in relation to the availability of
teachers uh labs and all the other
equipment that would be required to
facilitate the delivery of these
programs uh efficiently Dr Edward o can
expand on that uh given the research
that would have been conducted but
primarily uh there are several factors
that would have affected this the
availability of teachers the
availability of resources in Labs the
interest of students and hence the the
marketing thrust that we have agreed to
to ensure that we speak to the relevance
of these subjects to the economic
competitiveness of the region and that
the governments of the region would have
articulated a plan to drive an economy
that is based on climate change
resilience agricultural food security as
well as our environmental production
given what we are prone to in the region
for disasters and so with that
commitment from government across the
region coupled with and uh marketing of
those subjects to students should drive
uh uh great G demand of course uh within
our school
system I don't know Ed would you want
okay so thank you very much for your
question uh Dr Wesley would have
indicated the capacity issues that are
faced by many of the schools across the
ecosystem of CXC um and some of these
issues um which we have delved into from
the study that what that would have been
conducted to determine whether
suspension was of option was were in
fact docu M mented across all subjects
that we reference so I want to make a
mention of some of them so you have an
appreciation for the extent to which
these are concerns Dr Wesley would have
mentioned the issue of plant and
equipment that are outdated the lack of
practical experience for students
because of the inadequacy of the labs
and Facilities that are there lack of
qualified teaching professionals to
teach the broad syllabus in some
instances the subjects um were
challenged because of the lack of human
capital outlay to provide support for
areas such as welding um and other
related areas Plumbing in an electrial
inst electrical installation that the
issues of uh physical resources such as
textbooks and learn other learning
resources with challenges uh that the
system did not provide for students in
the system as well as areas related to
the matriculation requirements one of
the things we have found is that in many
instances there are no opportunities for
Upward Mobility beyond the subjects
because many of the universities and
community colleges do not make it a
requirement for entry into their
programs so for example if you look at
mechanical engineering option similarly
Agricultural Science both in both
instances they are not deemed
requirements for entry into the
respective subjects at the um at the
community college level and for those
who are taking green engineering as well
as electrical engineering math and
physics were the options that the
universities preferred and not green
engineering itself or electrical and
electronic engineering technology so
those were some of the issues that were
raised that uh crossed the region which
were alive to cxe and of course we would
have indicated some of those challenges
that are have policy implications for
ministers of education and education
stakeholders across the region thank
you thank you Dr Ali uh we have a hand
raised by Abigail Hedley so Abigail once
you open your mic please let us know
what media house you're
with hi good afternoon I'm from sabric
news um Dr Wesley you would have
mentioned that CXC has rolled out a a
new um menu
of technology and science programs can
you um list some of these programs that
you would have um spoken about there yes
Dr Ali could you just provide thank you
very much for the question there are
actually 12 New Generation subjects at
the cape level so they include
Agricultural Science entrepreneurship
Performing Arts physical education and
Sport tourism animation and game design
Logistics and supply chain operations
digital media Financial Services design
and technology and biotechnology so
those are the erors that were identified
at the time based on a demand that was
uh proferred by the region for which CXC
will have to ensure that the demand is
met or the the supply is is meeting that
that
demand do we have any more questions
from our
journalists I have another uh going back
to the courses that were suspended can
you say how many students were impacted
or yeah an idea of how spread it
was so so we get historically you can
say what the registration numbers were
like and from that a projection is
made
and Eduardo will actually walk us
through the details on those numbers uh
but yes there would have been a decline
in some cases uh in some member states
there wouldn't have been any take up for
those for subjects at all uh we look at
some data from 2020 and for some member
States since 2020 and now the enrollment
numbers for those were zero all right uh
uh in some member states so but Edwardo
can give you the historical Regional
numbers I guess that's what you want to
thank you very much uh Dr Wesley thank
you for the question so our figures go
back to 2017 to now so we're looking at
data over a period of several years um
so I will speak to the fact first of all
that the CC has an industrial technology
Suite of which there are three options
electrical and electronic and Technology
there's the building and Fabrication
technology and the mechanical
engineering technology so the option b
which is a mechanical engineering
technology is the only option that we
have we had Pro suggested should be
suspended the other two are still viable
just to give you an idea um if you look
at the numbers for the
um electrical and electrical and
electric technology um electronic
technology um CET curriculum you're
looking at roughly 4,500 across the
region and for building and Fabrication
technology it's about
4,200 but for um mechanical engineering
technology across the region the numbers
are below
2,400 and so you looking at half the
number of students enrolled across the
region however as Dr Wesley indicated
for that particular subject we have six
territories within the last five years
have no no no students registered at all
across the region three territories had
between one to five students registered
annually and a further three territories
only had an regist registration uptake
upwards 50 students so that gives you an
idea as to the numbers of course those
numbers vary so in three territories you
would have had the numbers registering
as 1,335 for one country 54 4 for
another country and 163 for another
country with all the other countries
mentioned having between 1 to five or
zero for that subject as for
Agricultural Science uh what we found is
that 10 to 12% of the enrollment for the
sing for the double award for a single
award are being taken for the double
award in other words of the total number
of students taking the d The Single
award only 10% take the single award
which means that you have a very low
number across the region so just just to
give you an idea also eight territories
have registered no candidates for 3 to 5
years four territories have registered
between 1 to 50 students annually with a
majority of them being below 10 and to
indicate that just two territories in
fact have registered numbers one country
has 750 over the period and another has
about 150 across the entire region so
you what you find in the the
distribution is two to three countries
are predominantly the ones registering
students for the entire subject and the
majority of them have either no
registrations or very low below 10 uh
for Cape green engineering 1 and two
it's a similar Trend seven territories
have no no students registered over the
period with a mean of 40 students for
unit one and unit two and for Cape
electrical and electronic technology six
territories have no registrations for
the period with only one territory
carrying 137 students so what we found
based on our analysis is that half of
the territories do not register students
at all and this is for the period of 3
to 5 years and this trend has not has
continued up to the present time so with
that being said are there any fears that
say in five years or so there will be
are you guys concerned that there won't
be enough green engineering I'm not sure
exactly what type of jobs are coming out
of that particular subject but are there
any concerns in that
area so um generally the ministers have
agreed that it's a priority option for
them given where their countries are
headed and so signaling that data
because we we go based on research and
data to do our analysis and So based on
the data that will come from those
countries we hope to see a demand
coupled with all that was mentioned by
Dr Wesley including the marketing but
there must be clearly Define career
Pathways for students because that's
part of the problem um in addition to
the resource challenges that schools
face in terms of human capital
challenges with teachers as well as
those persons who are also um available
to support the teaching and learning
process in providing career guidance to
students so so just in addition to what
Dr Ali just said the whole issue of
Labor Market information and
intelligence that will be critical to US
charting a part for students to Aspire
and want to see a career path that
allows them to self-actualize and that's
going to be critical in the collective
marketing thrust that we are going to be
working together with the ministries of
Education thank you for those responses
Dr Wesley and Dr Ali do we have any more
questions coming from our journalists
I'm not seeing any more hands raised
okay we have Samantha Simon Samantha
please let us know which media house
you're
representing hello can you hear
me yes perfect thank you go ahead
apologies all right so um with some of
these subjects that are um being
considered um many of them would be
considered newer subjects compared to
the more traditional subjects that would
have been on the syllabuses within a lot
of these countries as such uh when it
comes to marketing of these subjects to
the different Islands as well as support
to the Ministries in uh incorporating
these subjects into their syllabuses and
offerings uh what would have been done
from CC's end when it came to uh those
actions thank you very much for that
question a very fundamental question
once we would have established and
developed those new generation subjects
we through our learning or our
professional learning development
Institute conduct what we call teacher
orientation workshops to at least
sensitize the regions to the syllabuses
that are available and what would be
required for their integration in
schools this of course would also be
communicated to our respective
ministries of Education across the
region to sensitize them to the
syllabuses being available and the teach
as well being acquainted with what would
be required in those
syllabuses a lot of times when these
subjects are developed and are available
would require the injection of
additional resources and I think that's
where we'll have to find uh very
creative ways to ensure that resources
are made available for the introduction
of these programs certainly our
discussion this morning with the
ministers they would have been very uh
for right about their passion in
facilitating stem and science
integration within schools and I'm quite
sure that will be reflected in the
Investments That many governments have
already indicated they will make within
the education
system thank you Dr
Wesley I'm not seeing any more hands at
the moment um if we have any final
questions you can raise your hands now
but if not I think at this time we would
move to wrap up the press conference I
would like to thank you all for joining
us and thank you to our Executives to Dr
Wesley for coming to update the um
Regional media today and so we thank you
very much and do hope you have a
pleasant day
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