Assistant Registrar – Public Information and Customer Services, Cleveland Sam delivered the keynote address at the opening and dedication of Walden University and Events Centre in Paramaribo, Suriname on Monday 1 August. Walden and CXC have been collaborating since establishing relationship in August 2013.
While in Suriname, Mr Sam took the opportunity to meet with other stakeholders in the Dutch CARICOM state. He met with Mr. Stanley Sidoel, Director of Culture in Suriname. The discussions surrounded how CXC Expressive Arts offerings can be offered in Suriname or integrated into the National Arts Fair hosted by the Department of Culture every November.
A meeting was held with Ms Claudia Denmar of the Evaluation Division of the Ministry of Education. During the meeting, Mr Sam gave a summary of the CXC suite of qualifications with particular emphasis on CAPE and CSEC. It was explained that CSEC is equivalent to the Dutch HVO while CAPE is equivalent to the VWO. Ms Denmar explained that while students with CSEC qualifications can receive credits at Dutch higher institutions, they would only receive credits for subjects that are in the Dutch curriculum.
A meeting was also held with Mr Wilgo Valies, President of the Secondary Teachers Union of Suriname. Mr Valies noted that as a union they were not only interested in working conditions for teachers, but also in the quality of education being offered to students. He expressed interest in the work of CXC and said he would like to see Suriname working closer with its CARICOM counterparts in education. He was particularly keen on the CVQ and CCSLC which are competency-based programmes.