CXC and SBAs

Jul 18, 2026 Editorial, News

---

Editorial…

(Kaieteur News) – On Thursday the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) announced that it was scrapping School Based Assessments (SBAs) for a number of subjects as part of sweeping reforms to preserve the integrity of the examinations and the qualifications against widespread use of Artificial Intelligence by students.

Many persons are of the view that this should have happened a long time ago, but has now been forced upon the council with the widespread use of Artificial Intelligence by students to complete their SBAs and teachers unable to keep apace.

This issue is not only at the school level, lecturers at the Cyril Potter College of Education have complained about the issue as well.

For years, everyone knew what was happening with the SBAs. Parents were helping their children with their projects. Teachers were also “helping” a bit too much. Additionally, there are cases here in Guyana where students are buying completed SBAs online or from former candidates and even persons have made it their business to write SBAs at a price for students.

Then came ChatGPT and a variety of other AI tools that can churn out essays and research papers in minutes, complicating the idea that every SBA represented a student’s own work. So, CXC has now acknowledged what had become clear and while its diagnosis is correct, the solution cannot simply be to replace SBAs with what it announced will be supervised Paper 032 examinations.

It must be made clear that several of the subjects from which SBAs are now being removed never had SBAs to begin with. Less than twenty years ago, Mathematics, English, and several other theory-based subjects were assessed successfully without this ongoing assessment component.

At the time when these subjects were added to the SBA list the goal was to encourage research, critical thinking, and independent learning. However, technology has outpaced the system. It is therefore the correct thing being done now by CXC to revert to the old system where SBAs are only required for subjects where practical skills cannot easily be tested in a written exam. Subject such as: Agriculture Science, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Food and Nutrition, Technical Drawing, and similar fields require students to demonstrate skills rather than just recall information.

A student cannot ask artificial intelligence to plant a crop, perform a musical recital, complete a physical exercise, or produce an original piece of artwork under supervision. Practical subjects deserve practical assessments.

Nevertheless, however, laudable this reform may seem, it exposes a much larger issue and that is; Artificial intelligence is not going away.

It is now incumbent on learning institutions to start teaching students how to use AI and other tools responsibly. So too must employers, as they will soon increasingly expect their employees to understand AI, just as earlier generations were expected to know how to use calculators and computers.

Teachers also need much more training. Many educators still do not understand AI’s capabilities and limits and as such, without proper training, teachers cannot spot misuse, guide students ethically, or redesign assessments that will truly measure their students’ ability.

Incidentally, back in 2024 speaking at a CXC ministerial forum, President Irfaan Ali had sounded the alarm, pointing out then that digital solutions and AI can be instrumental in improving access to education, better learning options for persons living with disabilities, reduced administrative burdens on teachers and even personalised learning to cater to each student’s needs.

He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the need to embrace digital solutions in education, as countries were unprepared for this.

“By incorporating AI responsibly, we can empower our students to become not just consumers of technology, but achieve ethical participants in its development and use…Let us focus on how we can accelerate digital learning, reduce the digital divide, and make AI a tool of progress rather than a source of fear,” President Ali asserted.

With the world rapidly evolving, President Ali said the Caribbean risks falling behind –like in every industrial revolution – if the Caribbean remains unprepared to harness AI as a tool of progress.

The CXC deserves recognition for acknowledging reality rather than defending a failing system. Its reforms show that the integrity of Caribbean qualifications is more important than maintaining outdated assessment methods. However, this should be seen only as the first step, as it would do well to take heed to President Ali’s suggestions in integrating AI responsibly into the formal education system.

The onus is now upon the regional examination body and other stakeholders including governments to redesign Caribbean education quickly enough to ensure that qualifications continue to reflect genuine knowledge, true competence, and honest achievement in the age of artificial intelligence.

---

• Artificial intelligence, CXC, Editorial, examinations, SBAs

---