We have in our thoughts and prayers all the children who will be taking their school exit exams during this exam cycle, especially the 11-Plus or Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination, vocational studies, CXC’s CSEC CAPE, and BCC students.
To the youngest of these children doing the 11-Plus exams: I pray for calm minds and hearts and steady hands.
Parents, I feel you to the depths of my soul. Try not to pass on any anxiety to your children.
Students, we just want that you do your best. For most of you, your parents, guardians and teachers have done their best to give you the resources you need for these exams.
Students please remember that you are not alone. These exams are one of many steps in your life’s journey, which is a marathon not a sprint. The exams do not define you. Trust and believe that the best is yet to come for you, and I pray that you have the confidence to believe that and to persevere.
As the Ministry pursues the national education transformation journey, it is crucial that we also expand needed education resources and accountability measures to ameliorate or improve what can only be viewed as systemic deficiencies in our education system.
Parents should not find it almost necessary to pay for private lessons, whether for the 11-Plus or CXCs, to guarantee or enhance exam success for their children. Why do we accept this? It is inherently unfair as it obviously disadvantages the poor. Life is already unfair to those without privileges many of us take for granted – the education system shouldn’t make that injustice worse for our innocent children.
We adults have a duty to our children to insist on fairness in education.
It is also reasonably expected, in the pursuit of fairness, that digital exams – e-testing of Paper 1s (multiple choice) and hybrid testing for Paper 2s – will not be pursued for CXC exams until such time, nationally and on a school-by-school basis, that sufficient WiFi, devices and other IT capacities are in place and that student and teachers have the requisite preparation.
It is noted that there are nearly 300 less students writing the 11-Plus this year compared to 2024. This may be due to our declining birth rate and, if the trend continues, perhaps can be an opportunity to reallocate school capacity to provide learning support to those students who need it.
We pray for the very best for our nation’s students in their exams.
Paula-Anne Moore is the Spokesperson and Coordinator Group of Concerned Parents of Barbados.
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