CXC reports poor regional performance: 64% fail maths

ABOUT two out of every three pupils who wrote CSEC maths in May/June failed the exam, according to figures stated for the region by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on August 20.

The CXC held a ceremony in Dominica to launch the results for CSEC and CAPE which pupils began to access online immediately afterwards.

CXC director of operations Dr Nicole Manning said the pass rate for CSEC Mathematics across the Caribbean was just 36 per cent of pupils.

She indicated the pass rate had been 43 per cent last year, up from 37 per cent in 2022 and 34 per cent in 2021, the latter the likely fallout of the pandemic.

Despite noting a slight rise in the percentage getting a grade one, up from eight to nine per cent of pupils over the past year, she said, "Overall, we have got to get out of this rut."

The next worst-performing subject area was CSEC Spanish, which was passed by only 50 per cent of pupils, one in two candidates. This reflected a progressive worsening from 59 per cent in 2021, 55 per cent in 2022 and 54 per cent last year, down to a current 50 per cent.

Manning also noted a "very surprising" pass rate of just 58 per cent for integrated science.

CXC CEO/registrar Dr Wayne Wesley gave figures to show in the region, 94 per cent of pupils failed to get five subjects or more, a feat achieved by only six per cent. Fewer than one in 20 pupils got five passes inclusive of English and maths, he added, indicating just 4.9 per cent of the cohort.

He lamented that since 2018 each year, some 11,500 pupils did not fully matriculate and so would end up unemployed or under-employed. Manning said the overall of all these pupils shortfall was a negative effect on the region's competitiveness.

"So we are in very challenging times."

He said the CXC has commissioned a team to develop ideas to improve numeracy and literacy, inclusive of new inputs such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and targeted interventions.

"We need to give greater attention to English and maths.

"We have to sit down and address the serious problem of human capital, impacting the region."

Newsday sought to find out how TT pupils performed relative to the Caribbean average.

Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said she was still mulling figures.

"I'm currently in Barbados on a work assignment. I received the statistics today and will peruse."

Likewise, Chief Education Officer Dr Peter Smith said he was still processing information.

A staff member at St Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain told Newsday the school had not received the results.

President's College principal Hardat Singh told Newsday he did not yet have all pupils' results, just a few.

"Results just came out. Our students did relatively well.

"I have not contacted other schools to see what they got."

He said his school had been in touch with its top students, who indicated their success, including a 13-year-old who had passed seven CSEC subjects.

Maths tutor Azeem Hassanali of Hassan's Maths Lessons said the 36 per cent pass rate for maths was very low.

He said the maths pass rate in past years has fluctuated around 50 per cent, sometimes slightly above or below.

"The exam did come difficult. Question two on paper two was a very difficult question for that level.

"Children spent too much time doing that question and it would have demotivated them in the other questions and taken away time from these questions."

Hassanali said that question entailed critical thinking which may not be taught in most classrooms, combining factorisation with the calculation of a perimeter.

"We need to revamp the system and how we recruit teachers."

Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne told Newsday she was awaiting the local results but gave her preliminary view based on the regional results.

"The results are very, very concerning."

She said for a pupil to be considered employable, society requires they have a full CSEC certificate including English and maths. She said for just 4.9 per cent of pupils to achieve this was alarming.

Suggesting the CSEC performance translated into fewer pupils going on to do CAPE exams, Haynes-Alleyne, "Let us see it as a wake-up call."

She said policymakers have had a sufficient "grace period" for blaming the covid19 pandemic.

"Come up with something new. We are required to get the solution for them (pupils)."

Haynes-Alleyne said those who head the sector must come up with solutions.

"We await the specifics for TT.

"If it is that TT is mirroring the region, we will definitely have a lot of work to do."

St Augustine Girls' High School (SAGHS) acting principal Bonnie Bissoon-Gosine told Newsday she found the results announced by the CXC strange.

"Since 11 am, we have been getting calls from parents telling us how great their daughters did. Our school tends to be a little different. All reports so far are grade one in English and maths. This tends to be representative of our students.

"We anticipate most back in sixth form."

Bissoon-Gosine commended her pupils' teachers and parents.

"Teachers work remarkably hard with our girls. We aim for the stars and expect excellence."

Bissoon-Gosine expected good grades in maths due to a lot of practice, with pupils doing as many exercises of calculation as possible.

Maths tutor and author Dr Fayad Ali told Newsday he had not yet got feedback on this year's results in TT, but offered some insights.

"Statistically through the years, the pass rate in TT generally exceeds the rest of the Caribbean.

"For TT's pass rate in maths, I can assure that you will see a higher percentage than 36 per cent."

Ali estimated the pass rate in maths in TT would be "about ten per cent higher than the rest of the Caribbean excluding TT."

He said after easing the difficulty of the exam paper some years ago, CXC had since tried to "toughen it up a bit."

However, he also cautioned, "I don't think the Maths paper was as cruel as people try to make out."

Sharing his years of experience, he said pupils usually do better in simple multiple choice papers rather than structured questions, the latter which require a certain language skill and analysis for pupils to be able to interpret what is being asked.

For example, if a question said a car starts from rest that meant its original speed was zero, he explained.

"Teach the child how to think and they can solve any question," Ali advised.