Education Minister Priya Manickchand has reasoned that there is no need for onlookers to complain about the local student population writing ‘too many subjects’ at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certification (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) levels.
Over the years, there have been several concerns about students in Guyana writing large numbers of subjects offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
This year, the most subjects written by a CSEC candidate was 27 while the best performing CAPE student wrote 15.
While there was an outpouring of congratulations for these hardworking students, many registered their concerns about the number of subjects being written.
But the Education Minister on Monday argued that this should not be an issue.
“A lot of people would complain about, well not complain but comment why are children writing so many subjects…213 in the whole population who did eight or more Grade Ones, and just 28 [candidates] with 12 or more subjects, so it is not that many of our children writing large numbers of subjects,” she pointed out.
Notwithstanding, she explained that there is also nothing wrong with students who opt to the lesser amounts.
“Any student who does five subjects inclusive of Math and English, we consider that they have done very well, excellent, in fact.”
In 2015, former APNU+AFC Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine was looking into the situation of the increasing number of subjects written by students at the CSEC examination level.
According to him, the pressure of doing a vast number of subjects does not create a very healthy learning environment.
As such, he was in favour of discouraging secondary school students from writing more than eight subjects.
“I believe that this multitude of subjects that students are doing we will have to have a look at that. Frankly, it has always really bugged my mind to know how a student can be doing 18 subjects and more,” he had said.
