Growing absenteeism among Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) candidates continues to be a major concern for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
Despite the worrying development, CXC’s director of operations, Dr Nicole Manning said the council was taking steps to address the issue.
“We actually have been doing some surveys regarding absenteeism because it’s a big concern for us as much as it is for territories.”
“Fees are being paid; parents as well as in some cases it’s the government that’s paying for the students, so it’s definitely a concern because that’s a waste,” Dr Manning told Barbados TODAY in a recent interview.
She explained that one of the primary reasons students missed examinations was a lack of preparedness.
“We found top on the list, students would say that they do not or no longer feel prepared, and as such, they do not turn up for the exams. But we normally encourage candidates to attend the exams and do it because you’d be surprised to know how much you may recall sufficient for that kind of true assessment of your competencies,” Dr Manning explained.
She acknowledged, however, that illness along with other issues also contribute to absenteeism.
Dr Manning said the issue extended beyond traditional subjects, with new-generation courses such as green engineering and logistics and supply chain, seeing particularly high absentee rates, despite strong performance among those who do sit the exams.
“To know that the actual registration for those subjects, though very important for the region’s movement and development, have been low,” she pointed out.
“In addition to that, you do have sometimes very high absenteeism for those, so it’s a threefold issue that we really need to look at.”
Acknowledging that younger generations may not value education in the same way past generations did, Dr Manning said CXC was responding through innovation and digital transformation.
“We created what we call our new product, CTEC, That’s a Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate. And that particular certification is a modularisation of our CSEC and CAPE exams.”
“That’s done that way because we want to make sure that as we create the CTEC, which we call a micro-credential, it is stackable. That means that as they do the modules, they are achieving any of the three areas I pointed out earlier, as well as the candidates can create their own profile,” Dr Manning said.
CTEC is being piloted in May/June next year, with over 6 000 candidates participating from across the region, more than double the expected number.
Dr Manning explained the flexibility the programme offers.
“If I’m a candidate, for example, doing engineering, but I want to be my own boss, I want to do some entrepreneurial activity. It may mean that I have an interest in doing a module in entrepreneurship, and so I may not need to do the full particular subject, but I want to do a module in it, so it’s very important to give the candidate that flexibility,” she said.
CXC has already released four syllabuses in a marginalised format for Mathematics, English A, English B, and Integrated Science, with examinations scheduled for 2027.
Candidates will be able to complete modules independently, meaning that even if they were not successful in the full CSEC, they may still achieve certification through CTEC modules.
Dr Manning added that addressing absenteeism, supporting student development, and adapting to the needs of a new generation remain central priorities for CXC.
“It’s not for us to stay in the same way of operating, but to make sure that we create that flexibility for them with, of course, the guidance I mentioned earlier,” she said.
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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