Improvements have been made in several subject areas by students who sat this year’s secondary-school external examinations, according to the Ministry of Education and Youth.
Portfolio Minister, Fayval Williams, addressing a press conference today (September 7), pointed out that, “notwithstanding areas of challenges and concern, we also saw some improvements, and we will continue the efforts to ensure that our students are enabled to pursue their education and career goals”.
The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) tests were administered through the Offices of the Overseas Examinations Commission, in June and July.
For CSEC, Jamaican students were registered to sit 34 exams and of that number, 12 subjects showed improved pass rates when compared to 2021. Most notable among them are passes in Additional Mathematics, which increased by 12.3 per cent; English B, which increased by 9.1 per cent; and Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM), which increased by 7.3 per cent.
Nine CSEC subjects had an average pass rate of over 80 per cent. They are Agricultural Science – double award; Agricultural Science – single award; EDPM; Family and Resource Management; Food, Nutrition and Health; Industrial Technology; Office and Administration; Principles of Business; and Physical Education and Sport.
In CAPE, of the 35 subjects entered this year by all candidates in Jamaica, Unit 1 showed an average pass rate improvement in 15 subjects and unit 2 had improvements in 18 subjects. A pass in CAPE refers to the attainment of grades one to five.
On the other hand, students’ performance in CSEC Maths decreased by one per cent this year, when compared to the previous year, with a pass rate of 37.2 per cent.
For English, a 69.9 per cent pass rate was attained, which is a 3.4 per cent decrease when compared to last year. CAPE Applied Maths also had a pass rate of just 56.2 per cent.
Overall, 30,331 public school students were registered for CSEC exams. 28,227 of these students, or 93.1 per cent, sat the exams and 83.5 per cent of them passed at least one subject with grades one, two or three. 1,155 entries were deferred.
In addition, 143 more students from public schools were registered for CSEC this year, in comparison to last year.
For CAPE, 11,649 candidates from public schools entered both Units 1 and 2. 183 entries were deferred for these exams.
Williams commended students for the strides they have made in their education and for the perseverance to complete the external exams “under very trying and challenging circumstances”.
“I also want to encourage those who may not have done as well as they would have liked, to look for opportunities that will contribute to improved performance,” she urged.
The minister also thanked teachers and parents for supporting the nation’s students in their academic pursuits.
– JIS News
