CXC offers “Green Engineering” for CAPE students

Jul 29, 2016 News

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has added another subject to be offered at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level. The Council officially launched the course yesterday at the Theatre Guild,

Education Minister Rupert Roopnaraine during his address at the launching of CXC’s Green Engineering course for CAPE students

Kingston Georgetown.
The course is aimed at enabling students to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to sustain the environment. Howard Campbell, Senior Assistant Registrar of the Syllabus and Curriculum Division, said that the new programme is in recognition of the current global economic and environmental drives.
He said that launching the programme in Guyana is most fitting since the territory possesses vast, varied and undisturbed natural resources. According to him, Guyana has great potential if these resources can be properly engaged.
Campbell said the new syllabus is crucial to ensuring each student understands the challenges of economic and environmental issues, thereby arriving at solutions.
“It will enable students to become globally aware and effective at solving problems,” said Campbell.
The council was commended for taking this new step in the direction of promoting sustainable living by Horace Williams, Chief Executive Officer of the Hinterland Electrification Company Inc (HECI). Williams said that the introduction of the new subject is timely, when there is primary focus globally in sustainable development.
He said the concentration on green engineering should include using materials or energy inputs which are renewable, rather than depleting. The HECI Head further stated that students need to be encouraged to pursue careers in renewable energy.
Williams said that locally there are efforts to reduce the reliance on fossil fuel to provide energy to consumers, in keeping with the government’s move for a green economy. He urged that attention also be placed on incorporating into the energy-mix, the use of biomass and geothermal energy generation.
The feature address at the launching was delivered by Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine. He concurred with earlier sentiments that it is quite appropriate that the initiation of the programme is occurring in Guyana.
The Minister said that the entire globe is threatened by global warming. He pointed out that, specifically, low-lying states are more susceptible to rising sea levels which is a direct consequence of global warming.
According to Roopnaraine, it is in this vein that CARICOM states have a vested interest in green engineering, to equip the students with skills and knowledge to confront broad environmental, social and economic impact of engineering.
Further, the Minister said that the programme will allow students to apply the principles of green engineering, which incorporates the concept of sustainability and the application of time, design and solution for problems created by conventional engineering.
The syllabus of the Green Engineering programme consists of two units with three modules in each. There will be an external assessment worth 70% and a School-Based Assessment worth 30%. The external assessment will entail two papers. Paper one will comprise forty-five compulsory multiple choice items – fifteen questions based on each module. Paper two will comprise six compulsory questions based on each module.
The unit one SBA will be in the form of a report, while the unit two SBA will be a design project. Private candidates will be required to write an alternative paper.

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