Source: LOOP Caribbean
The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) has reported a worrying surge in incidents of misconduct during its May-June 2024 exam sessions.
The irregularities include candidates bringing unauthorized cell phones into the testing centres, engaging in outright cheating, and even impersonating other students.
“It’s a very serious matter,” said Nicole Manning, CXC’s Director of Operations, at a press conference this morning.
Manning recounted one particularly egregious case where a candidate was caught trying to pass themselves off as someone else. “So of course, the situation was identified and the candidate is not only disqualified but debarred for two years,” she emphasized.
This year saw 54 such incidents, a marked increase from the 36 cases documented in 2023. And these aren’t mere allegations, as Manning stressed: “Candidates have to sign to agree, yes, this is what happened. So, we’re not just making it up. The supervisors and invigilators are not making it up. They are telling you; I did this.”
One brazen candidate, Manning revealed, was even caught “literally on their phone” and admitted to googling exam questions during the assessment.
The increase was mainly noted in the sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams. The CSEC cohort saw a surge from 19 incidents in 2023 to 49 in 2024, while the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) went from 17 cases last year to 6 this year.
CXC has vowed to crack down hard on any future attempts to undermine the integrity of its assessments.
Manning also reported an increase in hardships faced by candidates.