CXC, UG ink MOU to advance educational opportunities for Caribbean students

Jul 15, 2021 News

Kaieteur News – The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the University of Guyana (UG), yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to allow for a systematic and strategic collaboration to advance teaching and learning assessment in the Caribbean.The agreement will allow for the students in the Caribbean to enjoy a smoother transfer process, should they apply to UG. During the virtual signing ceremony, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CXC, Dr. Wayne Wesley, said that the Council was honoured to collaborate with UG on another level.

CXC’s Registrar and CEO, Dr. Wayne Wesley.

“We are pleased to be formalising yet another aspect of the long established relationship between the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the University of Guyana. The University of Guyana has played an integral role at CXC through its permanent seat at the Council,” Dr. Wesley said.Vice Chancellor (VC), Dr. Paloma Mohamed, expressed similar sentiments. She told attendees of the ceremony that the MOU formalises the longstanding and exceptionally collaborative relationship that has existed between CXC and UG for over 57 years. “As a longstanding member of CXC, the University of Guyana is doubly pleased that the forward-thinking strategy of the council to streamline its arrangements and to leapfrog into the era of virtual space education through the use of digital techniques and technology, is again, being fulfilled today,” she said.
According to Dr. Mohamed, the MOU will make way for a joint exploration and coordination for access to resource persons to sit on subject panels, review committees, examining committees, and CXC’s research advisory group.

UG Vice Chancellor, Dr. Paloma Mohamed.

She said that the signing also solidifies UG’s role and place in collaborative Caribbean-wide educational research as well as, research for the digital transformation of the education systems within the Region. “The MOU also facilitates the advance sharing of examination results for the purpose of matriculation as authorised by candidates, so that they can have advance placement in cases where there is high competition for limited spaces in certain programmes. Students and teachers as well as parents and guardians will be happy to note, that this MOU also enables the recognition of CXC Associate Degrees (CXC-AD) and their future use for the purpose of matriculation by candidates.” Dr. Mohamed said.
The VC noted that over the years, UG has been able to welcome thousands of students from all across the Caribbean to its campuses and institutes, to study for over 140 different degrees using CXC’s certificates as the gold standard in the region as one of the main entry requirements.
“Students come to us to study disciplines ranging from certificates to PHD’s in medicine, law, agriculture, engineering, computer sciences, energy, business, tourism, psychology and social work, communications, mathematics, and education, art and environmental sciences,” she said.
In this regard, Dr. Mohamed said that the “MOU itself will not only support cross matriculation of students from one university to the next, but the formal extension of credentials of the CXC and the degree granting institutions who are its affiliates, thereby, opening a world of possibilities in higher education, training, research, exchange, curriculum and human and social systems development in Guyana and the Caribbean.”