The Barbados-based Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Friday identified Jamaica as the country where its Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Math Paper 02 examination paper had been leaked earlier this week.
Students from across the region wrote the exam on Wednesday even as the CXC which provides regional and internationally recognized secondary school leaving examinations relevant to the needs of the region, said it had been made “aware of the concerns” that the examination had been “leaked.
CXC Registrar and chief executive officer, Dr. Wayne Wesley, told a virtual news conference that following the body had been in constant contact with regional ministries of education “since the information” about the leak came to light.
“CXC has now concluded the investigation. The security measures which were implemented by CXC …are now being used to validate and to check on when there are breaches.
“The security measures that CXC has put in place have led to us locating the country as Jamaica and the examinations center there where the leak originated”.
Wesley said that in discussions with the Ministry of Education, “the matter will be dealt with following CXC’s security protocols.
“CXC and regional ministries of education recognize that candidates have spent months preparing for their Mathematics Paper 02 examinations. The news of the security breach of the examination caused much anxiety and concern”.
Wesley said as a result of the breach “and the compromise of the examination as well as consideration of mental health and well being of candidates and timely release of results ,,,,CXC has determined that grades for this examination will be awarded using the modified approach”.
He said that modified approach would entail the assessment of the School Based Assessment (SBA) which includes Paper 3(2) and Paper 1., which is the multiple choice.
“This decision was communicated to regional ministries of education in our meeting this morning,” Wesley said, adding that the regional examination body with over 30 years of experience in developing syllabuses, formulating tests, administering examinations, issuing results and analyzing statistics for large-scale examinations, would like to re-assure candidates that the security of the regional examinations” is paramount”.
He said the best interest of candidates “continues to be at the center of the organization’s decision and processes.
“CXC will continue to provide updates as and when necessary,” he said, advising stakeholders to monitor, the examination body’s official social communication platforms.
“This entire episode has really been of great concern and we continue to do what is in the best interest of our candidates as we protect the integrity of the examination process. We recognize that the matter requires a great level of sensitivity, confidentiality, but at the same time be accorded the level of urgency that is required to allay concerns of our most critical stakeholders,” the CXC Registrar added.
He said the news conference is to let the regional public be aware “that we have taken this matter seriously and would have done the requisite due diligence to ensure that the matter is treated with the urgency it deserves”.
CXC, which was established in 1972 under Agreement by the participating governments in the Caribbean Community (Caricom), is recognized internationally as the qualification for entry into tertiary institutions in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.
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