Nothing to suggest leak of CSEC Math papers occurred in Guyana – Edu. Minister

Guyanese authorities on Thursday expressed concerns over allegations that there may have been a possible leak of the 2023 papers for the Mathematics Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand said Guyana supports the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) in its investigation but said from a preliminary, internal probe, there is nothing to suggest that the leak came from Guyana.

“CXC is not saying there is a leak. They are concerned about reports of a leak and any examining body worth its salt would have to investigate.

“So, I would say carry on with the rest of the exams and wait on the outcome,” Manickchand told the News Room in an invited comment.

In Guyana, sitting Mathematics at CSEC is compulsory but some students write it in Grade 10 (Form Four) while most write it in Grade 11 (Form Five).

In a brief statement on Wednesday, CXC said it is aware of concerns that the exam paper, which was written on Wednesday, was leaked.

“This could impact the entire region but there is nothing to suggest the leak is from Guyana,” Manickchand reiterated.

Moreover, the Education Minister offered reassurances for the strict system locally to guard against such eventualities. She said the government has invested heavily to ensure these documents remain safe and insisted that leaks are highly improbable.

“I feel relatively comfortable and safe that notwithstanding, human beings in charge of the system…at this stage, we are not unhappy with the system.

“We don’t store these papers at school or in any informal way. Exam papers are stored at Police Stations across the country.

“There is no indication of a breach and a leak is unlikely from us,” the Education Minister added.