Caribbean-American Teachers Can Help Improve Students’ Competency Back Home

Dear Editor:
We note, with interest, the appeal by Dr. Wayne Wesley, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC ) — the examination board in the Caribbean: “We need to find an approach that creates an appropriate balance, that allows students to demonstrate the critical competencies required to function in society and help them to apply to any content, rather than focusing on the syllabus content…

“In this regard, the current thinking around the development of examination is to have a greater focus on the appropriate balance, between critical competences and content coverage.”

But shouldn’t it be the role of the CXC to build in the requisite competencies for the content of each subject area, along with relevant skills sets? As a regional body, funded by tax payers’ money, the CXC should have both the expertise and the regional mindset to be able to do so.

Once this is provided by the CXC, Ministries of Education must then train teachers to be able to underpin the content with related competencies and skills and in instructional methodologies and related expertise to be able to deliver accordingly — perhaps a Train the Trainer program, so those trained can then turnkey the training to their colleagues, across each nation.

Perhaps both the CXC and Ministries of Education can analyze syllabuses of developed nations, especially New York City in the US, to grasp how all three can be married — content, competencies and skill sets.

There are many Caribbean teachers in the US, especially New York City, with the capacity and competency to assist, and The Caribbean Voice can also be of assistance in this respect.

Sincerely,
Annan Boodram
President,
The Caribbean Voice
New York, New York