Education Minister intervenes in Penwood CSEC foul-up

Education Minister, Ruel Reid, says the Government will be lobbying the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to change its decision to issue 'ungraded' scores in six subjects to about 40 students of Penwood High School. 

The students were given 'ungraded' scores in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams because the school failed to submit the samples of their School-Based Assessments (SBA) by a July 31 deadline.

Reid told The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre he has requested a report from the school and the Overseas Examinations Commission, which administers CSEC exams in Jamaica on behalf of CXC.

According to Reid, Jamaica will argue that CXC's electronic system had problems and there was a breakdown in communication which was not entirely the school's fault.

Penwood's principal, Donna McLaren says other schools were faced with problems submitting SBA samples electronically and sent in the physical copies of the documents.

However, she said her school's examination coordinator did not submit the physical documents.

The CXC has not yet responded to a letter of appeal filed by the school.

The CXC uses the SBA along with the written paper to determine a students final grade in a subject.