The CXC examinations will start on July 27 for Jamaican students.This announcement was made by Minister of Education Karl Samuda on Monday.

“We will write the CXC exams starting on Monday July 27, 2020. Starting on the 27th, it takes about a couple of weeks to complete the exams …but the process will start.

I had a meeting with 135 principals and the people who coordinate the examinations, both public and private, and during the course of the discussions it was clear that the vast majority of those present preferred to go forward rather than to delay the exams,” he said.

“Social distancing can be accommodated quite easily as all schools are closed, making it quite convenient for those sitting the exams,” he added.

Samuda says the Minister is currently making the necessary preparations for the examinations. “We will now go about the business of making the logistical arrangements so that no child taking these exams beyond the challenges they have already encountered will be compromised,” he said. He said the education ministry is well aware of the issues that this decision highlights. “We are going forward with these exams knowing that we are not entirely ready for the exams in certain schools …other schools are very ready,” he said.

However, he is working to ensure all school are up to par.

“We will have two stages of the exams, that is, the internet and one that is paper based.We will do our best to facilitate our students to write these exams and to maximise their potential going forward,” he said.

“It is a critical turning point in our education system…this setback will only strengthen the process to make us more conscious of what is to be done and how quickly we have to get it done,” he added.

The CXC exams include CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) and CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations).