WHEN the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) meeting ends today, the region should know whether the implementation of a new award - the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Competence - will become a reality. In an interview with JIS News, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies and Chairman of the Caribbean Examination Council, Professor Kenneth Hall, said the award was being considered as a means of certifying high school students who may not have accomplished the stipulated five CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate) passes. In this regard, he pointed out that the award would serve to give credence to students in their areas of competence. "One of the things we will be examining is a proposal for a new certificate, and the basis for this is the recognition that a number of students are leaving high school without the five passes. And it is now felt that every student in the region should leave with some certificate signalling the competencies that have been acquired as a result of attending high school," Hall noted. In explaining the process, he said the certificate would be awarded on the basis of the performance of the student over a period, instead of just on the premise of a final examination. "The competencies which are built into the curriculum would be certified, and the student leaving would receive something that says I am able to perform in the following way in mathematics, so any student who is graduating from high school would have certification regarding his/her competence," he explained. Professor Hall said the council would also be discussing a new business plan for the CXC, which would see the organisation offering consultancy services to other regions in areas such as curricula development, examination procedures and school-based assessments. "We believe that we have acquired, through 30 years of experience, some specific competencies in examination administration, curricula development and these can be made available as a business venture to increase and diversify the resources of the Council," Hall said. A new chairman and deputy chairman will also be selected at this year's meeting. Last year's meeting was held in Antigua, which has since seen the implementation of the CXC Associate Degree programme in the areas of Business Studies, Environmental Science, Computer Sciences, Mathematics, Modern Languages, Natural Sciences and Technical Studies. The CXC, established in 1973, is the Caribbean region's premier organization charged with the responsibility of administering high school examinations, as well as developing curricula for CSEC, CAPE subjects and specific Associate Degree programmes. The Council is made up of 16 participating territories, including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com