CAPE postponed

Monday, May 12 2008
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ALL CARIBBEAN Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) scheduled today, May 12 to June 13, 2008 in Trinidad and Tobago have been postponed by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) based in Barbados.

At least 4,000 students will be affected by this decision.

This is the word from the Minister of Education Esther Le Gendre in releases and in a statement late yesterday evening. It was discovered and confirmed by the Ministry in Port-of-Spain that students could have purchased copies of the leaked CAPE paper for $5,000.

The Council took this decision after confirming the leak of Communication Studies Paper II in Trinidad and Tobago on May 8, followed by unconfirmed reports of possible breaches in other subject areas.

As a consequence, the Communications Paper II and all CAPE examination papers, which are yet to be done, have been withdrawn.

These include Mathematics, English, Literature, Business Studies, Physics, Biology, History, Chemistry, Languages and others.

New papers will be issued.

Students will be given new dates for the examinations today. The Ministrys release said more detailed information will be provided today.

The Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations (CSEC) have not been affected.

The Council assures all candidates and their families that these decisions, in respect to (CAPE), have been taken in the best interest of students and was taken to maintain the integrity of the examinations.

The Council has initiated the process to facilitate new arrangements for these examinations, including having students resit the Communications Paper II.

Officials from the CXC examination unit in Barbados arrived in Trinidad on Saturday last. They met with Education Minister Le Gendre, and other Ministry stakeholders. As a result of this meeting and subsequent investigations, Le Gendre issued this statement:

I wish to advise all principals, centre supervisors, invigilators, students and parents that all subsequent CAPE examinations Units I and II and the Communication Studies Paper II are to be rescheduled.

The Ministry supports the decision taken by the CXC, despite the fact that this latest report, in respect to other subjects, has not been confirmed and initial investigations indicate that all papers received have been accounted for.

In addition, the Minister said, it should be noted that all papers are received in sealed packages and remain so until opened by authorised persons on the day and time of the scheduled examinations, in the presence of candidates and exam personnel.

We believe, however, that this threat to the integrity of the examinations is sufficient to warrant CXCs actions in the interest of our students.

All current examination papers have, therefore, been recalled and the Ministry has contracted the services of an expert security agency to redesign the security procedures to be utilised in the management of examinations in the future. The CXC is also undertaking a similar exercise.

The statement continued, Fellow citizens, students, we view this incident and its implications of adult criminal activity impacting on young persons as a serious matter. It is contrary to all the values we continue to instill in our youth. This criminal act increases the level of anxiety in students at this critical time in their development.

While the matter is in the hands of the police, the Ministry renews its call to members of the public who have information to come forward. The Ministry, CXC and the Ministry of National Security have a responsibility to determine the facts and to take action on this basis only. We have acted promptly on information we have received and the public is to be commended for its support to date.

This is not the first time that examination papers have been leaked to students.

-- Edited by Bucky at 02:14, 2008-05-13