Retrograde Suggestion CXC. Reconsider!
Odane Brooks ??
Policy and Governance ?? M&E Specialist ?? Lecturer - Politics ?? CARICOM Youth Ambassador ?? Committed to advancing the lives of generations through Public Policy ?????? Budding Innovation Policy Expert ??
The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) recently announced the suspension of four subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE) levels, effective September 2025. This decision, driven by continued low enrolment across the region, includes Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Science – Double Award, Green Engineering, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Technology.
While the CXC CEO, Dr. Wayne Wesley, cites declining student engagement as the primary reason, this move raises significant concerns about the region's educational and developmental priorities. As a CARICOM Youth Ambassador and a policy professional, I must express my dismay and urge a reconsideration of this decision.
Policy Imperatives and Educational Needs
The suspension of these subjects contradicts several critical policy imperatives for the Caribbean region:
Long-term Implications
The decision to suspend these subjects has far-reaching implications beyond the immediate educational landscape:
Absence of System Thinking: Easy Way Out?
The decision to suspend these critical subjects highlights a significant absence of systems thinking in educational, resulting in a resort to linear quick fixes. Systems thinking involves understanding how various components of a system interact and influence one another within a whole. In contrast, the current approach appears to address declining student engagement through a short-sighted, isolated solution, neglecting the broader, interconnected impacts on the educational ecosystem and regional development.
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Implications of Linear Approaches vs. Systems Thinking
A linear approach, such as suspending subjects due to low enrolment, fails to consider the ripple effects throughout the system. This decision impacts not only student choices but also the entire ecosystem, including educational institutions, industries reliant on these skills, and the region’s economic and sustainable development objectives. For instance, reducing opportunities in STEM education diminishes the talent pool for technological and engineering sectors, which in turn can slow down innovation and economic diversification efforts. This approach overlooks the complex interdependencies that systems thinking would address, potentially creating long-term challenges in workforce readiness and regional growth.
Calls for Reconsideration
It is imperative that the CXC and relevant educational authorities reconsider this decision and explore alternative strategies to increase student engagement in these critical subjects. Potential strategies could include:
Conclusion
The suspension of these subjects represents a retrograde step that could have far-reaching negative effects on the Caribbean's educational landscape and its developmental goals. It is essential to foster an education system that equips our youth with the skills and knowledge needed to drive innovation, sustainability, and economic growth. By investing in these critical areas, we ensure a brighter future for the region, where our youth are well-prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
I urge the CXC and educational authorities to reconsider this decision and commit to a more inclusive and forward-thinking approach that aligns with the region's policy imperatives and development goals.
#EducationalPolicy #STEMEducation #SustainableDevelopment #CaribbeanYouth #CXC #EducationReform #FutureOfEducation
Policy and Governance ?? M&E Specialist ?? Lecturer - Politics ?? CARICOM Youth Ambassador ?? Committed to advancing the lives of generations through Public Policy ?????? Budding Innovation Policy Expert ??
8 个月Good sense prevailed. It should be an opportunity for CXC to approach things differently - it might not be working but the first response cannot be to cut. Meet with stakeholders, lobby for support and explore all avenues to increase enrollment.
Bsc Political Science & Law, (Hons.) University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus
9 个月Great Contribution Odane, and honestly, alot of the speculation about the wider and more comprehensive plan to fill the skills gap in the region and how CXC can play a critical role in this, notwithstanding the removal of these subjects, should have been cleared up by CXC in tandem with the notice of the subjects being removed. This issue only continues to highlight the lack of an understanding of these institutions at times that their work and rationale for decisions must be communicated to the people of the region- who are their stewards and clients. But on a different note, the question has to be more than supply and demand, but rather a much deeper transformation of the mind of our people to embrace and understand the value of these subjects to contributing towards the development of our countries and the world. But, the examination system must work in tandem with industry and governments in order to create the opportunities for school leavers who have these subjects to be able to contribute towards our development and fill that skills shortage which exists.
Business Developer ??
9 个月Great article Odane, and your positions are very valid. While I don't know the full details of the situation to form a policy position, I agree that the impression being made here is retrograde. However, are we considering how practical it is to continue allocating resources towards subjects with increasingly low interest/enrollment? Yes STEAM education is an important module in our development agenda, but is the economy organized to hire STEAM graduates? Or fund STEAM startups? STEAM Ed culturally has never been a sexy career aspiration; and a lot of us opining on this issue are ironically engaged in the arts/humanities/social sciences. If the Demand is not there, in students and instructors, I can't support the aspiration to have it. The economics of STEAM ED over the years hasn't been very convincing to me.
Founder & CEO at Visio HQ | work-life for the future
9 个月Odane, I share your concern about CXC's decision.?Eliminating these STEM subjects impacts academic pathways and severs a crucial link between education and the real-world demands of the Caribbean workforce. This presents a unique opportunity for industry leaders to step up.?We must rely on more than traditional educational institutions to cultivate the STEM talent we need.?It's time to reimagine how we develop skills and bridge the gap (from self-directed learning platforms, internships, externships, mentorships and experiential learning ops). By investing in these initiatives,?we can secure our talent pipeline and the future of STEM in the Caribbean.
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9 个月Hi Odane Brooks...????, I understand where you and the others are coming from but I would not be too hasty to criticise. It is better to wait and see what fully unfolds first Dr Wayne Wesley, Ph.D., P.E., CMgr FCMI, FASQ was the Executive Director at HEART and has been in STEM for decades, so he is well aware of the issues at play. I'm sure that the others at CXC are also well-versed and know what is involved Regular review of offerings to determine their relevance is very important, especially in this AI world. They may have realised that what is needed in the world today is far beyond what the existing courses cover They may then have wanted to free up resources so that better and more relvant subjects could be introduced For eg, I read elsewhere that CXC is developing courses in AI and Robotics. Perhaps they withdrew these outdated subjects so that a new, much improved offering can be advanced, like Robotics in Agriculture Lots of reasons, but as I said I doubt that we onlookers know as much as the experts who have been doing this for years. Plus we don't know the full story as a lot may be going on behind the scenes I would then wait to see if this is part of an overall plan for improvement bfore criticising!