EDUCATION Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon has indicated that Jamaican students who were scheduled to sit Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) external examinations in the January and May-June 2026 sessions will do so later than other territories on account of Hurricane Melissa, and will also pay lower fees.

Responding to questions from the floor in the Senate last Friday, Morris Dixon said a more detailed announcement will be made in days to come.

“In terms of CXC, they have already agreed to extend the timetable for Jamaica, so we will have a longer period. So, our exams will be later than the other territories so that’s already in train. So next week I will also be able to tell you about lower costs for CXC fees; we have been negotiating lower fees for our students,” Morris Dixon disclosed.

Those indications followed a statement to the Upper House in which she indicated that, in recognising the critical threat to students preparing for external examinations, the ministry has adopted targeted strategies for CXC (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate). She said discussions are advanced with the CXC to determine necessary relief, including: adjustments to deadlines and requirements for School-Based Assessments (SBAs) and practical examinations; flexibility in syllabus coverage and cost implications; and provision of options for students to reduce the number of exams they sit, based on their situation.

In the meantime, she said as far as the NCTVET (NVQ-J) exams are concerned, the November sitting has been postponed. The education minister said those examinations are now tentatively rescheduled for February 2026, with a further option in June 2026, to allow students and institutions adequate time to prepare.

She said for City & Guilds, the body has proposed a two-cohort examination model with sittings in June and November 2026, offering increased flexibility for schools in the most severely impacted regions.

Addressing the plans for the 2025/2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) assessment sittings, Morris Dixon, commenting in brief, said, “No final decision on PEP yet; we will have to extend the dates.”

Last month, following Hurricane Melissa’s destructive descent on Jamaica’s south and west coasts, registrar and chief executive officer of CXC Dr Wayne Wesley told the Jamaica Observer that the entity is working in tandem with Jamaica’s Ministry of Education to craft “a relief plan” for candidates here.

According to the Government, more than 600 educational institutions sustained damage during the passage of the Category 5 hurricane, ranging from leaks to total destruction, forcing thousands of children out of the classroom.

So far, classes have resumed at just over 600 schools but many students in the south-western section of the island are facing long delays before they resume classes.

Dr Wesley, responding to queries from the Observer at the time, said: “CXC deeply empathises with the nation of Jamaica during these unprecedented times. We are acutely aware of the widescale dislocation and hardships faced by many families and individuals, and of the determined efforts of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information [MOESYI] to bring urgent relief to students, parents and teachers who are understandably concerned about the loss of learning at schools devastated by Hurricane Melissa.”

He added that, “CXC is alert to the concerns of candidates based in Jamaica”, and said the entity has, “been actively collaborating with the [education] ministry to determine the most suitable measures of support in the form of a relief plan for candidates sitting the upcoming Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, and Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence examinations”.

“Once this MOESYI relief plan has been finalised, CXC will publicise the information widely. CXC’s thoughts are continuously with our resilient Jamaica-based candidates, and we pledge to do our best to facilitate your preparation and successful sitting of your examinations.”

Hurricane Melissa, which now holds pride of place as the most extreme storm ever to make landfall in Jamaica, packing winds of 185 miles per hour, made landfall on October 28 near New Hope, Westmoreland, causing ruinous flooding across the southern and western belt of the island.

The system, which mauled St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, Montego Bay in St James, and Trelawny — with the most impacted being St Elizabeth and Westmoreland — exited the country after effecting untold damage on infrastructure, livestock, vegetation and lives.