A group of Caribbean professionals last week rolled out an application to help students master mathematics at the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) level.

Founder of AcuExam (www.cxc-exam.com), Surendra Dhanpaul said though the app is in no way affiliated to the Barbados-headquartered CXC, it allows students to answer multiple-choice questions in preparation for a CXC exam, and will soon offer problem questions, with answers, in keeping with the maths syllabus.

The app is available on Google Play Store and via www.cxc-exam.com/cxc.apk.

Dhanpaul said he hopes that the Caribbean can take the production of apps more seriously, calling it “the new cottage industry” having the potential to earn the region significant foreign exchange.

“Apps and building apps is somewhat of a new export product. Wherever it is that you are sitting, you can have an idea for an app, you can build your apps where people in other parts of the world, such as North America and Europe, can purchase it or earn revenue from ads,” he said.

Pointing to a University of the West Indies study that highlights the importance of technological mobility in teaching and learning, Dhanpaul reiterated the importance of mathematics, but figures show a declining performance in recent years. “Mathematics is a subject that every single student must take and there is a consensus within the Caribbean that students are finding it increasingly difficult to grasp concepts in mathematics and being able to pass the exams with high rates,” he said.

Regional leaders were expected to approve Caricom’s Draft Roadmap for Single ICT Space when they held their midterm summit in Guyana on Thursday and Friday. Sources said the roadmap would pave the way for the formulation of a work plan that would embrace app developers and jump-start much-needed interest among political directorates across the Caribbean.

“I am not sure that the applications economy is really in the minds of heads of government yet, so that they understand the benefit and the role of those important people,” said another well-respected official in Guyana’s ICT sector.

The founder of AcuExam called on teachers and students to leverage mobile technology such as computers, smartphones and tablets as effective, mathematical, teaching-learning tools.

“Use your smartphones smarter. Download educational apps such as this one. The smartphone is only as smart as the user, and it is the future of learning. It is the future of taking exams and it is the future of a lot of things,” said Dhanpaul.

His app is free to use, but the company is accepting annual contributions which can be paid by debit or credit cards, cheque, PayPal, or on Amazon.