CXC Concerned Over Declining Math Performance at CSEC Level: Implications for Caribbean Students
August 21, 2024
CXC expresses concern over Caribbean students' ongoing struggles with mathematics at CSEC level, highlighting a decline in pass rates and potential impacts on education and economic competitiveness.
THE Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) has expressed concern over the continued struggles of students across the region with mathematics at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level.
Speaking at the official release of this year’s CSEC and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) results in Dominica yesterday, CXC’s chief executive officer Dr Wayne Wesley spoke of a troubling trend.
“While students are performing reasonably well in English, with an average pass rate of 79-80 per cent over the past five years, mathematics results have consistently lagged behind, with an average pass rate of only 55-59 per cent,” he said.
This year’s results revealed an even further decline in maths, deepening concerns about the future prospects of thousands of students across the Caribbean. Wesley said these challenges extended beyond mere academic achievement, potentially affecting the region’s economic competitiveness and limiting students’ access to higher education and better employment opportunities.
“We are losing almost 11 500 students every year who will not fully matriculate into university because of deficiencies in mathematics and English,” he said.
