Thwaites not surprised about some schools not registering most students for CXC math, English
Published:Tuesday | August 26, 2014 | 9:35 AM
The Education Ministry says it’s not surprised that one in three high schools may be failing to register close to half of their grade 11 cohort for Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Mathematics and English language.
Yesterday, the ministry released data for 2014, showing that over 60 schools did not enter at least half of their grade 11 students for English.
For Mathematics, 76 or 46 per cent of the 164 schools did not register 50 per cent of the students in grade 11 to do Mathematics.
However, Education Minister Ronald Thwaites says the data should not be surprising, as it has been worst in previous years.
“What we know this year, is that, there have been more students taking the examinations. This is a step in right direction."
"It is the ministry’s policy that by 2016/2017 all students in grade 11 will have to sit an examination in English, math and at least one marketable skill.” said the education minister
According to Thwaites, “We’re dealing with the problem. The problem of selectivity and of virtual education [in] apartheid, must not continue”
Many schools which had over 200 students in their grade 11 cohort only registered half or less of their students to sit the critical examinations.
Institutions such as Anchovy High in St James, had 426 students in grade 11 but only registered 215 to sit English Language at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, CSEC, level.
In Clarendon, Lennon High had 220 students in grade eleven but only signed up 63 for English and 59 for mathematics.
The data seems to support what many critics argue is the screening of students by schools to boost their percentage passes in an effort to raise their profiles.
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