Statement
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS
HONOURABLE SHARIE B. DE CASTRO
AT THE FIFTH SITTING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTH
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS ON
CXC 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
TUESDAY 31ST OCTOBER 2023
Madam Speaker, fifty years ago, a bold decision was taken to develop the first Caribbean examination body and so the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) was born! Over those 50 years, this regional organisation now serving 16 countries has become one of the more successful regional organisations.
The success of this organisation must be commended as you have worked with the Ministries of Education across the member states to offer our young people qualifications, which are recognised worldwide!
Madam Speaker, from the 1970s when the Council offered the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations only to 50 years later offering over 5 different qualifications, establishing e-testing and e-learning, launching the CXC Learning Institute, and more recently the CXC Data Intelligence Gateway, the organisation has served the region well.
The organization, Madam Speaker, must be congratulated for its agility to make critical changes over the years to keep abreast of the changing world as it worked towards a vision of a digitally transformed enterprise providing high quality, relevant and globally recognised educational services, thus achieving global competitiveness.
Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Sports and by extension the Government and people of The Virgin Islands offer sincere congratulations to the organisation on this significant milestone. We are proud to be a member from inception and proud to have had our country represented by several Virgin Islanders over the years on the Council and more recently in the role of the Deputy Chair for the past nine years.
Madam Speaker, CXC will be commemorating its 50th Anniversary by sealing a time capsule on Friday 10 November 2023 at the Barbados office during the Ministerial Summit. The Virgin Islands will be submitting one item, representative of the territory, to be included in the time capsule.
Madam Speaker, CXC represents a shared dream of regional integration and unity and serves as an example of the strength of our region. Madam Speaker, we thank the organization for 50 years of excellent service!
I wish the Registrar and his team continued success and pledge the continued support of the Government of the Virgin Islands!
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
