ACTING chief education officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information Dr Kasan Troupe says that all is in place for administering of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

Approximately 58,720 students have registered to sit CSEC subjects and 16,184 for CAPE, starting Monday, July 13. Oral exams for foreign languages have already commenced.

Dr Troupe, who was speaking to JIS News recently, said additional centres have been established within schools and in some cases the entire campus will be used, if necessary.

She said that the ministry has provided additional funding for institutions to ensure that infection prevention and control measures are maintained as Jamaica continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“… Administrators have been ensuring that the schools are safe and that the standards outlined by the Government are not compromised.

“Examination centres will be arranged to ensure six feet [of] physical distancing and adequate spacing for students who indicate that they have underlying conditions,” she said.

She added that isolation areas and special offices will be set up to facilitate extreme cases.

Parents are advised to ensure that students who may have underlying health problems are safely transported to school. Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) beneficiaries can request assistance from their individual schools.

Meanwhile, Dr Troupe said that the usual accommodations have been made for students with special needs. These include adequate space, readers, writers, sign language interpreters, and extra time.

Students who are wheelchair-bound will be assigned shadows (caregivers), who will help with meals and moving around.

Dr Troupe said that each exam should last no longer than one hour in most cases, and additional invigilators and presiding examiners have been recruited and deployed by the Overseas Examination Council.