CXC Unveils Generative AI Policy to Enhance Education in Caribbean Schools

The Barbados-based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is working on rolling out a comprehensive policy to guide the teaching of Generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) across the region’s schools, Registrar Dr Wayne Wesley has announced.

Speaking at the CXC awards ceremony in St Lucia on Thursday for top performers at this year’s examinations, he linked the planned policy to regional concerns over poor performances in mathematics and English exams.

“We want greater success for more of the candidates sitting our examinations, especially in the fundamental subject areas of mathematics and English.

“It is with these considerations in mind that we have been agile to produce a Generative AI policy for the regional secondary education system. We are in the process of fine-tuning this policy by engaging multiple stakeholder consultations across the region, and our Council will have the opportunity to interrogate how we plan to have this dynamic policy document adopted and effectively implemented across our schools,” Wesley said.

“Our position is that AI can be an integral tool for learning. All our educators must master the use of this AI tool if quantum leaps in the education and learning” are to be achieved, he suggested.

Regional adoption

To help the regional education system to catch up, the AI policy will have to be embedded within their

individual institutional policies, the registrar added.

He suggested that the awardees, as digital natives and users of the technology, could educate the audience about the values and use of Generative AI technology and contribute to regional adoption.

Prime Minister Phillip Pierre advised the graduands to contribute to the Caribbean and be positive agents of change. “You must have confidence in yourself that you are the best in the world. Don’t ever give up,” he said. “Whatever you pursue, do it well. Pursue it with passion.”

This year’s most outstanding candidates overall in CAPE and CSEC examinations, Aniyah Couchman and Dave Chowtie, respectively, are from Queen’s College in Guyana.

Couchman achieved Grade 1 in 20 subjects and Grades 1 and 3 in one subject each, while Chowtie had 25 Grade 1s and four Grade 2s.

Couchman said studying required “intense discipline” and advised students to pursue excellence but “balance it with other aspects of your life”. (HH)