CAPE lauded at workshop


Stabroek News
June 15, 1999


The introduction of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) is the best thing that has happened in Caribbean education for a long while, Director of the Secondary Schools Reform Project (SSRP), Dr Kenneth Hunte, has said.

Delivering the main address at the opening ceremony of a two-day CAPE teacher orientation workshop on Literatures in English and Accounting at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston yesterday, Dr Hunte said that the development of a modular programme in CAPE was a good thing because it meant that students could be accredited after they had completed one unit or they could opt to go on further.

One of the aims of the workshop was to orient teachers to the nature of Unit Two of the syllabuses and the relationship between content, objectives and rationale. The workshop also sought to examine the depth and breadth of the unit and its major organising principles in order to determine the ways in which the unit could be managed and taught within the school year.

There are some 10 stated objectives and at the end of the two day activity participants should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the unit system; use a range of appropriate teaching and assessment strategies in implementing the unit; set and mark assignments and manage the internal assessment procedures according to CXC guidelines and identify and locate suitable resource materials that are necessary for successful implementation of the unit.

Resource personnel include Chairman of the CXC Technical Advisory Committee, Dr Desmond Broomes, CXC Syllabus Officer, Cheryl Stephens and other CXC Technical Advisory Committee members.

Speaking of the introduction of the CXC examinations and CAPE which is meant to replace the GCE Advanced Level examinations, Dr Hunte noted that the development of regional examinations meant that the peoples of the Caribbean did not have to depend on the teachings of the previous colonial masters. The region had brilliant people, he added, but bemoaned the fact that many of these people were leaving to go elsewhere.

Urging participants to start selling CAPE to children, parents and employers who would be beneficiaries, Dr Hunte noted that the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level examinations had been "abandoned a long time ago, at least ten years ago". He said it was ironic that in Guyana people were "still preparing children for GCE (O'Level) examinations".

In developed countries, such as the United Kingdom, he said that people were trying to raise awareness of the cultural identities of a variety of peoples and it was sad that in the Caribbean "some of us "are continuing to promote "our colonial heritage... that is to say, still preparing to write examinations not even written in the UK."

Pointing out that CAPE was going to have a great impact on the core academic subjects, Dr Hunte said that CXC would have to think about meeting the needs of a wider range of activities. These must include things of more vocational nature where young people can develop and use their skills, knowledge, understanding and attitude to solve real problems when they entered the world of work.

Examination boards, he said, had the tendency to focus on the brightest who were a small minority. CXC, he said, had to look beyond the small minority and develop programmes in general which would encourage young people who would want to further their education for as long as possible.


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