Improved performance at CAPE, CSEC

─ every result is an active investment – Min Manickchand

Guyana has recorded improved performance in both the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) for 2022.

Chief Education Officer (CEO) Dr. Marcel Hutson made the disclosure on Monday at the Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary, Region Two.

For CAPE, Guyana saw an increase of 93.22 per cent in 2022 from 90.86 per cent in 2021.

This year, some 671 students from 17 institutions representing 12 public secondary schools and four private centres wrote the examination.

There was 100 per cent pass rate in 35 units while in another 28 units, there was a 75 per cent or higher pass rate.

Improved performance was recorded in Mathematics from 78.67 per cent in 2021 to 83.67 per cent in 2022.  

Pure Mathematics Units 1 and 2 recorded improved performances to 65.35 per cent and 80.95 per cent in 2022 respectively, when compared to 58.89 per cent and 74.17 per cent pass rate respectively in 2021.

Similar increases were recorded for CSEC with 68.5 per cent pass rate in 2022 from 66.36 per cent last year.  A total of 10,368 candidates wrote this year with 62,990 subject entries.

Significant improvements were recorded for Mathematics of 34.26 per cent in 2022 from 31.6 per cent in 2021. As it relates to English A, there was an increase to 70.84 per cent in 2022 from 67.72 per cent in 2021.

Improvements were also recorded in English B, 72.47 per cent; Agricultural Science -double award 99.14 per cent; Agricultural Science – single award, 95.56 per cent; Music 100 per cent; Industrial Tech 98.68 per cent; Added Maths 53.88 per cent; and EDPM 90.90 per cent.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand said while the success was not easy, today the country can celebrate the achievement.

“Before the next four years, 100 per cent of our teachers will be trained or be in training. That is a big move to take up and sustain a high pass rate… All of our teachers will be taught how to teach so not only will they have strong content but they will learn how to deliver that to students,” the minister stated.

The education minister made it clear that more emphasis will be placed on ensuring students sitting examinations are provided with the requisite learning materials.

“Before the end of this year, all our CSEC students will have textbooks they need from forms four to five as support materials… every result you see is an active investment in students,” the minister disclosed.

She said the achievement of the country is a result of government taking bold decisions as it relates to the reopening of schools. However, she noted that with the right measures and taking precautions in a COVID-19 environment, the results show that government took the right decision.

In the 2022 national budget, $74.4 billion was allocated to improve education delivery and access to education throughout the country.

Government also increased the ‘Because We Care’ and school uniform and supplies grants, which saw each child in both public and private schools benefitting from $30,000.

This is coupled with the introduction of a number of smart classrooms to improve the delivery of education.