The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has confirmed that the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination Mathematics Paper II was leaked ahead of the exams.
A video statement from Guyana’s Education Minister, Priya Manickchand on Friday noted that CXC also confirmed that the paper was not leaked in Guyana.
The Council has since agreed to mark Paper I and the School-Based Assessment (SBA) but will now “completely disregard” Mathematics Paper II.
The CXC had launched a probe into reports that the exam paper was leaked earlier this week and on Friday, met with Education Ministers in the region to reveal their findings.
“The findings are, the paper was in fact available before the beginning of the exam or before when it was scheduled to be legitimately available. They have confirmed that it did not occur in Guyana, so I want to be very clear about that,” Manickchand said in her statement.
She noted that although the breach did not happen in Guyana and several other countries, the entire region will be treated equally “as far as the solution goes.”
“I want Guyanese children to know that your best interest is being looked at; this is the most sensible application [solution] at this point, to your Mathematics exam Paper II,” the Education Minister noted.
In a message to CSEC students who are still sitting exams, Manickchand on behalf of the Government of Guyana, said, “Don’t let this interfere with anything else that you’re doing right now.
“You’re sitting other exams, you’re preparing for other exams, go ahead and do that to the best of your ability. Put this behind you and trust us to make sure your Paper I and SBA are properly counted.”
During an interview with the News Room on Thursday, Manickchand had made it clear that there was nothing to suggest that the leak came from Guyana.
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).
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.
