Nov. 8 is Deadline for Students Seeking Help to Pay CSEC Subject Fees

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture has set a November 8 deadline for fifth form students of secondary schools to submit their applications for assistance in the payment of fees for CSEC (Caribbean School Examination Certificate) subjects in the 2005 examinations.
Under the Secondary School Fee Assistance programme, the Ministry is funding four CSEC subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Information Technology and a Science subject. The Science subject may also be the equivalent UK-based GCE (General Certificate of Examination) Human and Social Biology paper.
Co-ordinator of Secondary Education in the Ministry, Dr. Mary Campbell told JIS News that the programme, now in its third year, was open to all fifth form students in need, and no application would be turned down. Application forms are made available at all schools.
Meanwhile, Dr. Campbell is reminding school administrators to ensure that students are registered with CSEC before submitting their lists to the Ministry’s Regional Offices.
“In the first year, quite a number of schools came in with lists of students for whom we said we would pay, but they had not paid their other fees to CSEC. Therefore, the Ministry paid examination fees for students who had not been properly registered,” she explained.
“Since last year, we have asked that schools ensure that registration fees have been paid in the first instance, so that the Ministry can determine the number of students that have been registered before we proceed,” she added.
Following this, school administrators will go to the CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council) office where registration will be finalized.
The CSEC deadline for registration and payment of fees is Wednesday, November 17, 2004.
Last year, the Ministry provided funding for approximately 30,000 students sitting the 2004 examinations. Assistance is given to fifth form students sitting the examinations for the first time.