79 Wards Recognised For Performance In CSEC, CAPE

Seventy-nine wards of the State have been recognised for outstanding performance in external examinations for the 2018/19 academic year.

The children, who have earned four or more subjects in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), were feted at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency’s (CPFSA) eighth annual Educational Achievement Awards Ceremony held on Thursday (Nov. 28) at the Terra Nova Hotel, St. Andrew.

They will be able to move on to tertiary education or engage in other advanced educational programmes.

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, commended the students for their accomplishments.

“Today, we award you for your commitment to excellence and to self- empowerment,” he said.

He underscored the importance of education to personal and national development, and encouraged the students to continue to pursue academic excellence.

“An education is the best gift that we can give to our nation’s children …simply because an education is something that no one can take away,” he noted.

“It behoves us as a society to ensure that we develop our youth with the requisite skills and the right core values and attitudes that will ensure that they become leaders of not just today but also tomorrow,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer, CPFSA, Rosalee Gage-Grey, in her remarks, said an important goal of the agency is to ensure that children in State care have access to quality education.

“We believe that education has the power to change the world and empower persons to rise above their circumstances… this year marks the eighth staging of this awards ceremony where we highlight the achievements of our children and again (they) have raised the bar of excellence and have continued to make us proud,” she noted.

She added that “through these awards, we not only seek to encourage our youngsters to continue to aspire to excellence in their endeavours, but we also aspire to ignite them with hope for the future by simply demonstrating our love and appreciation.”

Data from the CPFSA show that a total of 593 children in State care were registered for secondary exams across the island during the years 2017 to 2019, with 530 or 89.4 per cent sitting exams.

Of the number, 447 were successful with those who sat CSEC accounting for the largest number of passes of seven subjects or more. CAPE had the highest pass rate of 98.7 per cent.