Barbadian secondary school students who were unable to write the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) examinations that were scheduled for July 2, due to the passage of Hurricane Elsa, will now be able to do so in August.
The new date for the CSEC English B paper is Thursday, August 12, at 1:00 p.m.; while the CAPE Computer Science Unit 2, Paper 1; and French Unit 2, Paper 1, will both be written on Friday, August 20, at 1:00 p.m.
Deputy Chief Education Officer and Local Registrar, Dr. Roderick Rudder, made the announcement during a press briefing called by the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training on Friday.
He explained the students were being accommodated under the CXC hardship policy. “Following the passage of Hurricane Elsa, the Ministry of Education approached the Caribbean Examinations Council to request special hardship consideration for those candidates who were so affected…We’ve subsequently received confirmation from the CXC that those students who were affected and unable to write examinations on that day will be accommodated…”
Dr. Rudder further stated that candidates who were expected to write the following Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) exams – Chemistry- Unit 1, Paper 3/2; Accounting- Unit 2, Paper 2; Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing- Unit 1, Paper 2; Geography- Unit 1, Paper 2 and Performing Arts- Unit 1, Paper 2 – would also benefit from the application of CXC’s hardship policy.
Under that policy, candidates’ grades would be assigned based on their School Based Assessments and the remaining examinations paper.
Dr. Rudder also spoke to the arrangements in place for students who were quarantined. “We have been following both the protocols as established by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, as well as the guidelines provided by the Caribbean Examinations Council to facilitate those persons who are in quarantine.
“However, at this stage, there were 10 persons who would’ve been so affected by the need to facilitate such examinations, and what we’ve done, where it was possible to facilitate e-testing that would’ve been done. And in instances where there were paper-based tests, protocols were followed as it relates to personal protective equipment, as well as the required social distancing, sanitising and handling of the examination papers in an exclusive way to ensure that there’s no possible transmission,” he explained.