The Ministry of Education has announced that all national and ‘A’ list High Schools in the country will now be mandated to facilitate cross-streaming, allowing students preparing for their CXC exams to sit subjects from outside their chosen stream.

It was also announced that students who intend to write subjects that attract a large number of School Based Assessments (SBAs), will have to begin those assessments in the 3rd Form, in advance of their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand made the announcements today while commissioning the Mrs. Maureen Massiah Wing at The Bishops’ High School.

Minister Manickchand said she was very perturbed when she found out that The Bishops’ High School had limited the number of subjects a student can sit at the regional exams, and that cross-streaming was not permitted, resulting in many students expressing a desire to be transferred to Queen’s College.

The Education Minister said students with the ability to write 12 or more subjects should be allowed to do so.

“We do not in the Ministry of Education, and I personally do not encourage students to engage in only academia, only writing large number of subjects, I don’t. I believe it can take away from a student but I believe that some students can and where students can, they should be accommodated and allowed to,” Minister Manickchand said.

According to the Minister, on an annual basis, approximately 250 children across the country write 12 or more subjects at CSEC, and the students at the Bishops’ High School should be allowed to do so.

“All the national schools and List ‘A’ schools will allow cross-streaming. So, if someone is Physics, Chem, Bio and the Science subjects and you want to cross stream two Arts subjects it is going to be allowed on the time table,” the Education Minister announced.

Additionally, once eligible, students would be allowed to write Mathematics, English and Literature in 4th Form as well as one foreign subject. Minister Manickchand said there is a possibility that they will also be allowed to write EDPM in 4th Form.

Minister Manickchand said too that she had verbal communication with the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) about the large number of SBAs students are required to do for a single subject, particularly for science related subjects.

“So, some of the SBAs where the subject is being taught anyway in 3rd Form, osmosis for example, we will introduce our children at 3rd [form] to how this works, and the practical exposure that CXC wanted, and we know that has implications for staff and supervision and marking, and we are addressing all of that. So, you are going to see some of those major changes coming about,” she explained.

Meanwhile, with eight additional classrooms, a lab and recreational facility, the Bishops’ High School will be able to accommodate more students with the commissioning of its new wing.

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