$24m in study guides for CAPE, CSEC

Government is considering spending $24 million on the purchase of study guides for students preparing for the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the UK-based publishing house Nelson Thornes yesterday launched 15 study guides at a function held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Port-of-Spain.

Delivering the feature address, Education Minister  Dr Tim Gopeesingh said the ministry supplied books at no cost to secondary schools but more discussions were needed before further purchases are made. Gopeesingh, however, sees the idea as worth considering.

“These study guides are welcomed to the education system within the Caribbean. It helps with the teachers, directing them with the curriculum. “It is something worth the consideration in terms of costs for the taxpayers of Trinidad and Tobago, but obviously it would benefit all the students,” Gopeesingh added.

Susan Giles, CXC’s senior assistant registrar, examinations administration and security division,  said the cost of education to regional governments was rising exponentially and drew a correlation between candidate performance and the cost being expended.

“A review  of the 2011 regional performance shows that 30 per cent of those presented for the CSEC May/June examinations obtained no subjects at acceptable grades at that sitting. This has to be of concern to all of us,” Giles said.  She said discussions in teacher training workshops across the region had revealed a struggle with the paradigm shift from teacher-centred to learner-centred education.

 “As we listened to the feedback from teachers, it became clear we need to provide some core resource material that would provide the instructional support that embodies the focus  of the CSEC and CAPE,” said Giles.

The guides

The eight study guides launched for the CSEC are:
English A
English B
Information Technology
Integrated Science
Mathematics
Office Administration
Principles of Business and Social Studies
Seven CAPE study guides are:
Accounting Unit 1
Accounting Unit 2
Biology Unit 1
Caribbean Studies
Chemistry Unit 1
Communication Studies
Economics Unit 1