The Minister of Education said on Wednesday that the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is considering postponing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) 2021 exams.

Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly was speaking in an interview on the Now Morning Show on TTT.

“It may very well be that there would be a postponement of CSEC and CAPE, and that is because of the changing (covid19) situation since March, April when we would have made, as ministers of education of the region, our recommendations…to CXC.”

She said at the time of their recommendation, the covid19 numbers were different from what they are now. “St Vincent didn’t have a volcano that was erupting (and) Barbados and other countries were also having a different covid19 landscape.”

She said CXC will announce its decision on Wednesday, after a meeting on Tuesday.

“It seems as though there is going to be a postponement at the start of the CXC exams.”

The exams are scheduled for June-July. She said the delay should be about two-three weeks, but the regional ministers of education recommended three.

“Certainly we would appreciate the delay,” she said, adding her ministry would also like time for as many examination personnel as possible to be vaccinated, at least with their first shot.

Gadsby-Dolly said she does not think the current state of emergency would pose any challenges except when papers need to be moved.

“We have to ensure the staff have their passes (but) there are no real issues in rolling out the exam.”

She said for Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) students, there is a bit more time for numbers to go down and she is hopeful that they will decrease in time. The SEA is carded for June 10.

Gadsby-Dolly also addressed other issues faced by students, including those who have been put on suicide watch because of issues arising during the pandemic.

“This is not something new,” she said. “Even in the physical environment, we had students with all of these problems, and that’s why the Student Support Services Division (SSSD) are always working, interacting with students and parents, because we know there are always that cohort of students who need that help.”

She said the ministry is also looking into students who have been reported missing from virtual classes, and urged parents to be more involved.

She said the ministry can do everything to ensure that schools have a clear guideline for students online, provide materials such as devices and connection, and provide printed materials for those without access to devices, but parents still need to be responsible for ensuring students participate.

“The ministry is not in the home…Parents have been doing their best. Our teachers have also been working hard to reach students.

"I am not saying that on the ministry’s end everything is perfect, but I am saying in the cases of missing students there is a serious responsibility of parents that has to be acknowledged. The ministry can only go so far.”

She said she has met with co