Jamaican students to sit CXC starting July

Minister of Education, Karl Samuda
Minister of Education, Karl Samuda

(Jamaica Star) Jamaican students will participate in the July- August sitting of the 2020 Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams after all.

Education Minister Karl Samuda announced the update this evening, ending weeks of uncertainty after Jamaica initially  decided against the exams, saying it was just not ready.

The exams will start on July 27 and end in August.

Samuda said students will be able to do the exams on the Internet and where they lack access, at their school.

Special transportation will also be considered. 

On Friday, some principals at a meeting with Samuda, and education ministry officials, voted in favour of July, indicating that they were ready.

CXC says students will be graded using a modified approach this year because of the coronavirus. The grades will come from students’ performance on a multiple choice paper and school-based assessments.

Some principals had argued that they needed time to have face-to-face interaction with students before any exams.