AS many students across Jamaica sink deeper into the COVID-19-influenced education gap, a free application has been developed, catering to the needs of Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) students who will be sitting examinations soon.

The online application cxcsucces.com was developed by RHE-SKY-NATE, a local software company that provides “innovative technology” and mobile applications. Currently, it targets secondary education students studying science subjects at the CAPE level and those studying mathematics at the CSEC level. RHE-SKY-NATE was awared under the Development Bank of Jamaica project.

“The application really is about exam preparation. Students who do good at exams are students who do exam-like questions. Once you come on the application, you can view questions, see the answers and see the explanations. You can get linked to videos that can give you more, if it is that you didn’t know a topic at all,” Georgia Crawford Williams, chief executive officer of RHE-SKY-NATE told the Jamaica Observer in an interview.

“We are in the knowledge game. I have always been in the knowledge game; we actually participate in every stage of the knowledge cycle. So, we unearth knowledge through research, impart knowledge through training and then we discover new knowledge through our application.”

After months of testing dating back to 2020, the application went live on Saturday, April 24 and since then, Crawford Williams said there have been almost 2,000 subscriptions.

“We went live last Saturday and have over 10,000 tests done and 1,850 subscribers – and it’s free. Persons really want practice. The feedback has been good. People have been asking us for additional subjects and have been inquiring about mock exams that will be released on May 10. They really like the fact that they get the answers. It shows you the topics that you’re not good at. For that reason, it really helps a student who is preparing for exams. It helps them to target the areas they’re weakest at,” she said.

“We did a version of it last year but it wasn’t operating the way we wanted. So, it took us about six months between last year to this year to get to where we wanted it to be. So really, two months and four months’ worth of testing.”

In 2016 The Mek Up, a banking application by the same company, placed second in the NCB (National Commercial Bank) Digital Innovation Challenge.

Kedisha Richards, a mathematics teacher at Clan Clarthy High School, told the Sunday Observer that as an educator, the application left her in awe.

“Usually when you go on apps you have to be clicking on different icons and it takes you to another page, and when you go on that page you have to click again to go to another page – a lot of re-routing. And what I know about my students is that they don’t really have the attention span or the patience, so I’m happy to see that the app is so straightforward,” she said.

“Once you go on it and click math, you see practice papers. And as soon as you’re finished, you get your grade and check your answers if you want. I really love it as a teacher and I know that my students will enjoy it. It really is a good gesture in this pandemic, and the fact that it is free is another thing.”

The math coach said she will definitely be using the application as a revision tool with her grade 11 students for examinations in coming weeks.

“The more practice these students get in this time, the better it is for them. I have given the app to other teachers so that they can also benefit from it. As soon as we finish up content and get into the meat of revision, the app will be one of our tools to use.”

Amanda Coleman, a pre-university student who had failed CSEC mathematics prior, told the Sunday Observer she is more confident now going into the resit because of the application.

“One of the things I love about it is the explanation. Whether the answer to a question is right or wrong, it basically gives an explanation. So, if I do something, wrong, I will know. That way, I can correct myself,” she said.

“I wasn’t successful with math before and basically, I feel like a have a better chance now with an app like this.”

President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (JAPSS), Linvern Wright said he is worried about what CSEC exam grades will be like, considering the pandemic-influenced learning loss. He has called on more companies to take similar initiatives to promote learning at this time.

“I am concerned about that [grades]. Without the kind of instruction and engagement and all the issues we have had, it’s something you have to be concerned about”. said Wright.