CXC hosted a one-day meeting for various stakeholders from across the Caribbean on the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) on Friday 12 May at its Headquarters in Barbados. Representatives at the meeting were drawn from ministries of education, teachers’ unions, parents, principals and teachers of CPEA.

During the stakeholder meeting, Mr Glenroy Cumberbatch, Registrar of CXC presented on challenges in primary school education in the Caribbean. The Registrar also gave an overview of the CPEA, outlining its philosophical underpinnings, literacies, assessment, reporting and implementation to date.

Three of the countries that have implemented CPEA – Grenada, Montserrat and St Vincent and the Grenadines shared their experiences and lessons learnt from the programme to date.

The meeting highlighted that while the CPEA methodology is time-consuming, it has engendered an increased level of parental involvement, instilled a greater level of independent learning on the part of primary school students, and has made the transition to high school a smoother one for primary school students.