In light of the Caribbean Examination Council’s (CXC) decision to commence the sitting of the 2021 exit examinations on June 28, Education Minister Fayval Williams, says plans are in place to support the administration of the exams.

Speaking during a post-Cabinet press briefing held on Wednesday (June 9), Williams stated that the Overseas Examinations Commission (OEC) has reported that the “centres have been finalised, presiding examiners have been engaged and trained, and deployment schedules have been shared with them ahead of the start of the exams”.

She added that ”the schools, through the exam coordinators, continue to liaise with the OEC to ensure on-the-ground readiness (and) the pickup and return of exam scripts in a timely manner”.

The OEC is the “local agency with the remit to ensure the smooth preparation for and the administration of the CXC exams (in Jamaica) as well as the return of scripts for marking”.

As per the council’s decision, the regional exams which were initially set to begin on June 14, will run from June 28 through to July 31, with the release of exam results expected between the last week of September and the first week of October.

Examinations will be administered in their original formats inclusive of both papers one and two, with overall weighting being influenced by school-based assessment gradings.

According to the minister, “CXC has also indicated that consideration will be given in the grading processes to account for the psychosocial effect the pandemic has had on the students.”