CFBC students return highest passing grade in 2012 CAPE exams, Education Minister urges higher participation in maths, foreign languages and science

Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) in St. Kitts

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, AUGUST 23RD 2012 (CUOPM) – Students at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) in St. Kitts have returned a passing grade of 83.8 percent – the highest pass rate over the last four years.

This was disclosed Wednesday by Minister of Education, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty during his annual national report on the performance of students on the Caribbean Advanced proficiency Examination (CAPE).

Minister Carty reported for the academic year ending 2012.

“397 students registered for the CAPE examinations compared to 372 in 2009; 456 in 2010 and 550 in 2011. Preliminary analysis shows that there has been a corresponding increase in the number of students enrolling in the Division of Technical and Vocational Education and Management Studies at the CFBC. Given the government’s focus on TVET, that is, Technical and Vocational Education and Training, in recent times, this is not surprising,” he said.

There were 1,422 registered subject entries, 68 percent or 966 being Unit 1 courses, and 32percent or 456 being Unit 2 courses.

“The disparity between the number of unit 1 and unit 2 entries, as indicated in my previous addresses may be indicative of significant repetition of unit 1 courses and/or drop-out at year 1 instead of continuing on to year 2. Of the 1422 subject entries, 1315 returned graded results,” he said.

Of the Unit 1 courses, the most popularly taken were Caribbean Studies, Economics, Environmental Science, Information Technology, Management of Business and Sociology. Significant entries were also registered in Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Law and Pure Mathematics.

He noted given the trend of performance in Mathematics throughout the Caribbean Region, it is quite heartening to point to 29 students at the CFBC and 16 at Charlestown Secondary School sitting the Pure Mathematics examination at CAPE.

Least popular courses included French, Spanish, Literature, Physics, Art and Design, Geography, Literature, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.

For Unit 2, the most popular courses were Economics, Environmental Science, Law, Management of Business and Sociology.

The Education Minister told the nation that 8 subjects – Applied Mathematics, Art and Design, Environmental Science, French, Literature, Physics and Spanish – returned a 100% pass rate at CAPE Unit 1 at CFBC.

The Unit 2 courses producing a 100% pass rate were Art and Design, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Information Technology and Physics

“Of the 1422 registered subject entries at the CFBC for the 2012 examinations, 83.8% or 1191 entries returned a passing grade. This represents the highest pass rate over the last 4 years,” said Minister Carty.

He however highlighted the obvious reason, that the following courses attained less than a 50% pass rate: Information Technology Unit 1, Law Unit 1, and Spanish Unit 2.

“The Ministry of Education wishes to strongly encourage high participation rates at CAPE in Foreign Languages, Mathematics and the natural sciences, in particular. These represent areas of challenge but as well opportunity for our young people,” said Minister Carty.