St Francois student launches Justice for CAPE campaign

Concerned with the accuracy of this year’s Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results, Adela Scotland has launched the Justice for CAPE social media campaign.

Scotland, 18, is an upper six student at St Francois Girls' College in Belmont.

In an interview with Sunday Newsday, Scotland said she hopes the campaign puts pressure on the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) to review and remark this year’s exam scripts.

Scotland’s campaign is just one of many ways students and educators have taken to social media to voice their concern over the accuracy of this year’s CXC results.

“I was in shock when I saw my grades. I went into the exams with high IA (internal assessment) marks and I prepared really hard for the multiple choice (exam),” said Scotland. She launched the campaign on Wednesday.

As a lower six student, for this year’s CAPE examination, Scotland wrote five subjects.

She is displeased with the grades she obtained in the unit one exams for history, literature, and sociology.

Scotland obtained a grade three in literature. In both history and sociology, she received a grade two.

“I know people may ask why I am dissatisfied about twos and threes, when there are people who have been affected far worse, but I know (these results) are not my ability,” said Scotland.

Scotland’s Justice for CAPE campaign encourages students, concerned about their CAPE results, to continuously call and email CXC’s headquarters in Barbados.

Education ministries across the Caribbean, including in TT, have noted the concerns of students about this year’s results.

On Friday, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said at least ten schools have submitted queries to the ministry over this year’s CXC results.

Gadsby-Dolly said the ministry has written CXC to voice concerns about the results based on letters sent o the ministry and social media reports.

This week, the ministry is expected to write CXC based on queries from the schools. On Saturday, the ministry said it was compiling data from schools to send to CXC.

“Because of covid19 we can’t go out in the streets and protest. Along with help from a friend, I decided to be innovative and came up with this online protest," said Scotland.

“Every 15 minutes, over the last few days, we had a different person calling CXC.

“The campaign is also aimed at getting CXC to explain what the weighting of papers was (used to award marks) to ensure students get full transparency from CXC,” said Scotland.

While Scotland encourages disgruntled students to contact CXC, she is asking them to do so respectfully.

She said from a young age she has always been encouraged to stand up for her rights and help others.

“I knew I needed to do something to give people hope. What CXC has done to us (students) this year, in my opinion, is pure evil and vindictive.

“I have no idea how anyone of them (CXC officials) are getting any sleep knowing that people’s lives are literally ruined.

“CXC must pay for what they have done to us (students) and I will ensure that happens.”

While Scotland is still grateful to have passed all her subjects, she said others were not so fortunate.

Acting principal of St Francois Girls' College, Pasha Seecheran, was unable to provide a comment about the campaign or concerns over CXC results when contacted by Sunday Newsday.

Despite concerns, CXC Register Dr Wayne Wesley said there is no need for a full review of results.

Wesley was speaking at a virtual press conference on Friday and assured the council will address concerns in a detailed report.

For students displeased with their grades, Wesley noted students will be required to pay the current fee to query unless they are querying absent/ungraded exam results.

At Friday’s press conference, Wesley was unable to say how many grade queries CXC has received thus far.