Paula Lindo
The Council of Caribbean Examinations (CXC) will present a new qualification called the Caribbean targeted education certificate (CTEC), which will divide traditional module subjects, allowing students to engage with subjects at their own pace. This applies to CSEC and Cape subjects.
The CXC Wayne Wesley registration, speaking at a virtual press conference on April 15, said certification will involve three tracks – an advanced and accelerated track with a compressed program; A typical general track with a two -year program; Or, an individual and flexible track with an extended program.
“What CTEC does is to offer a level of flexibility to the system for people, whatever their own particular circumstance which allows them to leave school early or if they have difficulty covering certain content, they can now manage this content over a period of time. This certification does not reduce the standard.
“It is the same level of CSEC and Cape, we use the same program, but what we have done is to remove them in manageable components such as modules in a particular subject and to allow students to focus on a particular module at a given moment. This will allow them to complete the complete CSEC certification. ”
He said, for example, the mathematics program would be divided into three modules, and the realization of the three modules would mean that the student would receive the subject. He said the process had been launched with English and mathematics.
Wesley said that CTEC was attached to problems with students graduate from secondary school without certification.
“It cannot have passed the students within 18 years of the school system and end up leaving without certification; So how do you start responding to this particular concern? One of the answers to the CTEC is to make sure that students can, we can focus on the learner, we examine the style of the learner, the rhythm to which the student learns, as well as the depth, the quantity of content that we can reach. “
Wesley said that if students had to leave the system for any reason, they could re -engage the subject at the next stadium, without having to restart the whole subject.
“This will also add a lot of flexibility, because a student studying engineering can now take a module in commercial matters, say entrepreneurship, if they are interested in starting their own business after completing their program.”
He said the implementation would begin in September, the first CTEC certification issued in 2026.
He said that CTEC qualification would tackle the small number of lets pass in matters like mathematics, which have been concern.
In 2025, the success rate of CSEC mathematics in the Caribbean was only 36% of students.
The success rate was 43% in 2025, compared to 37% in 2022 and 34% in 2021, the latter the probable repercussions of the pandemic.
Less than one in 20 students obtained five passes, including English and mathematics. In the region, 94% of students did not obtain five or more subjects.
“We expect to see much more improvement in people reaching mathematics,” said Wesley.
“In the longitudinal framework of the CXC, we adopt a research -based approach over a long period of time to ensure that people acquire the skills necessary to become competent in mathematics and English.
“So, from the primary level, we deal with the question of literacy and numeric, because if these fundamental skills are acquired early enough, then obviously when they reach the upper level of the secondary level to pass these exams, they are able to do so.”
Wesley said the region's education ministries were present at the CXC council and had been consulted.
“Whatever we do now, I would not make public statements without first having a kind of discussion with them concerning the strategic direction in which we move.
“We have governments waiting to start the pilot in September. It cannot be deployed in each country at the start, we must make sure that we are going to do things well.”
Deputy CEO Eduardo Ali said that there would be teachers training for the implementation of the CTEC.
He said there would be two aspects of the training. The first would be teacher orientation workshops where teachers' teachers would learn to teach others in their Member State. The second would be training on how to develop skills in the provision of skills -based education.
The TT Unified Teachers' Association said it would need more information on development before making a comment.
The Ministry of Education did not respond to an investigation into the new qualification before the press time.
On April 8, speaking at a meeting of Point Fortin, Prime Minister Stuart Young said that he had spoken to the president of Caricom, Mia Mottley, of the need to change the CXC CSEC program to adapt to the modern era of education.
CXC: subjects to offer online in 2026
Wesley said that from 2026, all the subjects offered in January would be via online or via hybrid methods. He said that students who were unable to make materials at that time would be hosted in the May / June system.
CXC director of operations, Dr. Nicole Manning, said this system would be kept against violations and hacks, security being a continuous target, while CXC sought to approach the recent increase in cheating to exams. She said the hybrid approach would also preserve against power failures and other problems.
Ali said that CXC had developed a skills and skills framework for teacher education, students' learning and CXC assessment. He said that in the context of this framework, there were 239 sub-competents that would be evaluated among students as part of their educational journey.
He said CXC was acting towards the nationalization of his subjects in the region and was trying to predict what the region now needs, in an eye on 2050.
The organization works with the ministries of education and the private sector and had developed five main areas aligned on regional constructions developed by CARICOM and the organization of the East Caribbean States, said Wesley, adding that CXC was in discussion with various entities to ensure that each qualification is sensitive to the needs of the region.
Ali said that CXC also worked with higher education institutions to facilitate equivalences and credits and that it worked on the issuance of credits for international recognition and other measures in accordance with its digital thrust.
Manning said that there would be a digital town hall on April 24 at 5 p.m. so that students and parents ask questions.
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