The following is an address by Premier of Nevis and Minister of Education Hon. Vance Amory on August 02, 2016, on the overall report of the 2016 Caribbean Examinations Council results on Nevis.

 

My Fellow Nevisians,

 

As promised last week, I am here to give a report on the overall results of the Caribbean

Examinations Council (CXC) results which were conducted in May and June of this year.

 

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC), Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examination (CAPE) 2016 Examinations were held over the period March-June period 2016.  This report will include the CCSLC results and results from the private candidates as well.

 

The CCSLC Examination replaced the National Examination (NCEC) 10 years ago.  It encompasses the knowledge, the competencies, the attitudes and values of all students that they should acquire before leaving school.  

 

There were 302 student entries out of which 280 students wrote the examinations and 223 passed, giving us an 80 percent pass rate at the CCSLC Examinations.  The majority of students upon writing and passing their subjects, are given the opportunity to write a minimum number of CSEC subjects the next year so that they could acquire CXC passes to improve their educational achievements.

 

The CAPE Unit entries for this year, were 662 out of which 626 Units were written and the Unit passes totalled 526, giving Nevis an 84 percent pass rate for the CAPE examinations this year.  

 

Thirty-six Units were not written because of absence. Some students, again, did not check their time tables thoroughly and thus were marked absent for one component and logically, a grade could not be given for this exam which was not written.

 

The CSEC Examinations better called the CXC, had 1,458 subject entries, out of which 1399 subjects were actually written.  There were 1,115 passes, giving Nevis an 80 percent pass rate this year.

 

The Sixth Form pass rate improved from 81 percent to 84 percent in 2016.  The two government schools combined attained an 83 percent pass rate. The Gingerland Secondary increased from 84 percent to 92 percent while the Charlestown Secondary maintained its 81 percent pass rate.

 

The Nevis International Secondary School, registered a slight increase in the number of students writing the examinations, as well as the number of subjects written. Seven students and 22 subjects were written.  They maintained a pass rate of 45 percent.

 

There has been a steady increase of Private Candidate registration over the years.  This year, 206 students were registered and returned a 67 percent pass rate.

 

At the Sixth Form, the most individual Units attempted over a two-year period was 10.  The outstanding candidates for the 1st year and 2nd year are as follows and I am giving here only the best results, not the full results for the full examinations.

 

CAPE

1st YEAR STUDENTS 2016

 

First Name      Last  Name         No. of Units Passed  No. of Grade 1’s

Cheslyn        Maloney (M)                               6                         3

Derez            Morton (F)                                   5                         2

Nekhalia       Tyson (F)                                    7                         1

Zhariah         Archibald (F)                              5                         1

Ryani            Ferguson (M)                             5                         1 

Nicole           Zakers-Barry (F)                        5                         1

 

 

 CAPE

2nd YEAR STUDENTS 2016)

     

First Name    Last  Name                       No of Units Passed    No of Grade 1’s

Orian             Stapleton (M)                                 10                              6

Kamil            Wilkin (M)                                          9                              5

Aejari            Browne (M)                                     10                              3

Noellisa         Swaby (F)                                      10                             3

Brianna          Brantley (F)                                      8                             3

Fazim             Persaud (M)                                     8                            3

J-Eonne          Dore (F)                                           6                            1

Cassie             Hicks (F)                                         7                            1

Leron              Webbe (M)                                       7                            1

Wei-Jun           Young (F)                                        8                            1

 

 

The most individual subjects attempted at the Charlestown Secondary School that is for the CSEC or the CXC was 12.  The outstanding candidates are as follows:

 

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PASSES AT CSS 2016

 

First Name           Last  Name        No. of Subjects Passed   No. of Grade 1’s

Ronicia                Liburd (F)                               11                       11

Rickila                 Hanley (F)                               10                        7

Naomi                  Thompson (F)                       11                        5

Asher                   Walters (F)                              10                        7

Shakwanda          Challenger (F)                      12                        4

Tassai                   Pemberton (F)                      11                        5

K-Jel                    Smithen (M)                             11                        5

Jarette                  Greene (M)                             10                        6

Dwight                Cozier (M)                                   9                        6

Briana                  Perkins (F)                              10                       3

Brittney               Chaderton (F)                           10                       3

Savita                  Tilackdharry (F)                        10                       3

J’Eneille               Scarborough (F)                    10                       2

Cejae                   Farrell (M)                                 10                      2

 

 

The most individual subjects attempted at the Gingerland Secondary School was 17.  The outstanding candidates are as follows:

 

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PASSES AT GSS 2016

 

First Name     Last  Name     No. of Subjects Passed           No. of Grade 1’s

Rol-J               Williams (M)                   17                                    17

Anneka           Ferguson (F)                    11                                   11

Devonte         Jones (M)                         10                                      9

Vincia             Gumbs (F)                       10                                      5

Melicia           Clarke (F)                                                                    7

Rhon              Daniel (M)                       10                                       4

Adaija            Stapleton (M)                  10                                       3

Jovarnee         Somersal (M)                   8                                      6

Talia               Rawlins (F)                      9                                        4

Shezan            Edwards (M)                   9                                       2

 

 

For the Nevis International Secondary School (NISS), the most individual subjects attempted was 6.  The outstanding candidates are as follows:

 

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL PASSES AT NEVIS NISS 2016

 

First Name           Last  Name       No of Subjects Passed    No of Grade 1’s

Deasjorn              Jeffers (M)                           4                  

Tarana                  Kacker (F)                            1                          1

 

I now turn to the subjects which received 100 percent passes for the different schools.

 

The subjects that returned 100 percentage passes at the Nevis Sixth Form were: Art and Design Units 1 and 2, Biology Unit 1, Chemistry Unit 2, French Units 1 and 2, Geography Unit 1, History Unit 2, Information Technology Unit 2, Law Unit 1, Management of Business Unit 1, Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing Unit 1, Pure Mathematics Unit 2 and Spanish Units 1 and 2.

 

The subjects that returned 100 percentage passes at the Charlestown Secondary School were: Biology, Food and Nutrition, Music, Electronic Document Preparation and Management (EDPM) and Mechanical Engineering Technology.

 

The subjects that returned 100 percent passes at the Gingerland Secondary School were:  Agricultural Science, Biology, Chemistry, Clothing and Textiles, Food and Nutrition, French, Geography, Information Technology, Integrated Science, Music, Office Administration, Physics, Principles of Accounts, Spanish, Technical Drawing, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, Physical Education and Sport and Building Technology (Woods).

 

The subjects that returned 100 percent passes at the Nevis International Secondary School were:  Agricultural Science and Electronic Document Preparation and Management.

 

Fellow Nevisians, you would note from the list of subjects which I have read for you that the students attempted, that there is a broad base of skills which our children are being taught at the school.

 

The object of teaching those subjects, is to give the students a selection so that they can choose to go into purely academic studies or to go into technical studies or a combination of those, so that we can prepare them for the world of work and also for professional development and skills development.

 

I will now turn to some specific areas which I think are important to speak about in this report.

 

This year, CAPE Integrated Mathematics was introduced as a compulsory Unit, to obtain a CXC Associate Degree for students not doing any other CAPE Mathematics Unit. Unfortunately, only 37 percent obtained acceptable grades. 

 

Most of the students who now have to do Integrated Mathematics, would not have done so normally. So all of the barriers built up against Mathematics in the lower schools, have to be broken down if they are to be successful to attain their Associates Degree.

 

I want to look at some of the subjects which were offered in that Integrated Mathematics Unit.

 

The subject offered as Geometrical and Mechanical Engineering was changed to Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing (BMED) and was offered for the first time as such, with 100 percent success, with the Nevis Sixth Form College being the only institution in the Federation offering this subject.

 

I spoke earlier about Integrated Mathematics and I wish to look at one of the aspects of our educational offerings which we are making in Nevis, to enhance our children’s facility and ability in Mathematics and it has been, for the past two or three years.

 

We have enlisted the special skills of Mrs. Sylvia Fahie, to provide instruction to our teachers in all of the schools at all levels, to assist them in teaching Mathematics, so that our children can become facile and not become “afraid” of the subject.

 

We believe, that an ability to sit or to take Mathematics and pass it is an important discipline for all of our children and I really would wish to compliment Mrs. Fahie and the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education, especially, for taking that step.

 

In the new year, we intend to expand on that because you are realising from part of the report which I read, that in respect of the CAPE Associates Degree, in order for that degree to be awarded, students sitting for that degree must pass Integrated Mathematics.

 

CSEC Mathematics remains an area of concern and challenge for us in Nevis and I think the Federation as a whole and maybe the entire region.

 

Unfortunately, in Nevis, even though we have taken steps to counter the weaknesses, we saw that Mathematics, this year, dropped in both of our secondary schools. In Charlestown Secondary from 64 percent in 2015 to 51 percent in 2016 and in Gingerland Secondary from 70 percent in 2015 to 68 percent in 2016.

 

I think, we can console ourselves that we are still above the 50 percent mark and what that is telling us is, that we still have some knotty areas which we have to grapple with to try to overcome the kind of challenge or the fear which our children have of Mathematics and of numbers, so that they can become more capable of sitting and passing Mathematics.

 

You will be aware that to be employed in the Public Service and to be employed especially as a teacher, that a student who wishes to be employed in those areas, must have English and they must have Mathematics. So we are working to provide that kind of training for our children.

 

I wish to look at some highlights as seen by the Education Department for 2016.

 

English A increased in both Government Secondary Schools. The Charlestown Secondary School from 67 percent in 2015 to 72 percent in 2016 and at Gingerland Secondary School from 68 percent in 2015 to 87 percent passes in 2016.

 

I think that is very commendable that we are seeing that increase in the number of passes for English A which is what used to be known as English Language – grammar and so on.

 

I also wish to note the stellar performance of the Gingerland Secondary School, at which the overall pass rate jumped from 84 percent in 2015 to 92 percent in 2016 and clearly we need to recognise, perhaps the most outstanding performance, not just in Nevis but the Federation of Ron-J Williams of the Gingerland Secondary School, who sat and passed 17 subjects, all with grade 1’s.

 

I think this is a very commendable effort and the young man, I think, has a bright future but so do all of our students and as Minister who is responsible for Education in the Nevis Island Administration, I wish to commend all of our students who have done well in the examinations.

 

Those who have not done too well, they still have opportunities to take their subjects as private candidates or if they are repeating, they can do so in the secondary schools of their choice.

 

In also wish to congratulate all the teachers who have spent so much time giving of themselves diligently, in a dedicated manner, to ensure that our students have a good foundation to begin their way in life as adults.

 

I also wish to congratulate and complement the parents, who have taken time to provide their children with the support which they need, to accomplish their secondary education and their advance level education at the CAPE at the Sixth Form.

 

You will no doubt, ladies and gentlemen, hear more of our students, especially those who have gone to the Clarence facile Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) in St. Kitts and I believe, based on what I am hearing initially, that they too would have done well.

 

But overall, as part of the Federation, I think we can be proud that we continue to perform well at the regional examinations and have given our students a firm foundation on which to build their future careers in whatever area they wish to pursue.

 

I want to wish all of our teachers and students who are returning to school well and I do know, that based on the charge which we have given to the Education Department, the teachers and support staff, that we can expect good results but I want to say, without dedication, without serious application, we may not do so. So what is my charge? We must apply ourselves and take what we do seriously.

 

May God bless you. Thank you very much and congratulations once again.