MARCELLUS TAYLOR
By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS
lmunnings@tribunemedia.net
THERE was a 15 percent increase in the number of BGCSE candidates who received a C or higher in five or more subjects this year, according to Director of Education Marcellus Taylor.
Mr Taylor also highlighted a decrease in this year’s BGCSE candidates as only 4,906 candidates registered by comparison to last year which had more than 5,000.
He presented the statistics during a press conference at the Ministry of Education.
He noted that 4,906 candidates registered to sit the examinations in 2022, compared to 2021 when a total of 5,147 candidates registered, which resulted in a 4.68 percent decrease.
As a result of the decrease in candidates, the number of awarded grades decreased by comparison to last year.
According to Mr Taylor, there were 17,546 grades awarded this year, which represents a decrease of 2.03 percent compared to 2021, when a total of 17,909 students were graded.
Despite this the director said 83.58 percent of the grades awarded ranged from A-E.
“It is interesting to note that again this year more than 80 percent or 83.58 percent to be exact, of the grades awarded continue to range from A-E, which is now becoming the recurring accomplishment,” the director said at the press conference.
Mr Taylor said there was a “significant” increase in the grades awarded to candidates.
“There are significant increases at A-C. In fact, 10.38 percent at grade A is the highest for the 2018-2022 period.”
When compared to last year, there was a 15 percent increase in the number of candidates who received a C or higher in five or more subjects.
“In 2022, a total of 633 candidates received a grade of C or higher in five or more subjects. This represents 12.9 percent of the overall candidature and a 15.09 percent increase when compared to 2021. There were 550 candidates in 2021,” Mr Taylor said.
He said 952 candidates obtained a D or higher in five or more subjects by comparison to last year - this is an 8.8 percent increase.
In the subjects mathematics, English language and science, the director said there was a 2.62 percent increase for candidates who received a C or higher.
“In 2022, a total of 392 candidates received at least a grade C or better in mathematics, English language, and a science subject,” he said yesterday. “This represents 7.99 percent of the overall candidature and a 2.62 percent increase when compared to 2021. There were 382 in 2021.”
A total of 27 subjects were tested, however, English language, biology, mathematics and religious studies were said to be the subjects of choice for the vast majority of candidates.
Of the 27 subjects, improved performance was noted in 11 subjects when compared to performance in 2021. These include: art and design, chemistry, combined science, English language, food and nutrition, French, geography, history, literature, keyboarding skills and religious studies.
It is noted that improved performances for BGCSE’s were seen on the islands of Abaco, Andros, Bimini, Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Inagua, Mayaguana and New Providence.
Meanwhile, as it relates to the Bahamas Junior certificate (BJC) test results, Mr Taylor said there was an increase in the total number of grades and candidates.
“This year 9,571 candidates from 113 centres were registered to sit the examination. Fifty-one were government schools while 62 centres were independent or private.
“The total candidature represents an increase of 0.23 percent when compared to 2021, when 9549 candidates from a total of 112 centres. The total number of grades was 35,340 when compared to 2021. Which was 34,62. This represents an increase of 2.07 percent.”
The total number of grades awarded at A-D increased significantly, while the E-U grades decreased which serves as an indication of an improved performance.
The Ministry of Education recognises the improved performances in the BJC and BGCSE results this year, however, officials are aware that more can be done.
“While we recognise the pockets of improved performance in the BJC and BGCSE examinations when compared to 2020 and 2021, we also are aware that greater efforts must be made by all stakeholders in order to recover the learning loss which has occurred since March 2020,” Mr Taylor said.
Comments
K4C 1 year, 8 months ago
12.9 percent or 633 of the 4,906 candidates who sat the (BGCSE) examinations in 2022 received a C or higher
The headlines are PURE Bull$hit
FAILURE by government, both LPL and FNM
hrysippus 1 year, 8 months ago
How does that old saying go; "Figures cannot lie, but politically appointed bureaucrats can sure put a spin on them.."?
tribanon 1 year, 8 months ago
Bingo!
And lowering the bar by making the exams less difficult always helps them with their spinning of the results to try and make themselves look like they are great educators. Most of these so called 'educators', in The Bahamas and the U.K., are now truly deadbeat bureacrats of one kind or another who must sing the song they are told to sing by the elected officials they are beholden to in order to get their supper.
sheeprunner12 1 year, 8 months ago
I challenge any Bahamian over 40 years old to compare their school results with this generation's results. Older folks are just haters.
For starters, no more than 20% of Bahamians can produce a BJC and GCE if they were in school before 1990. Schools handpicked who took BJC and GCE exams back then. Every child can take those exams today.
The older generation like to downgrade what this generation is doing, but they cannot produce anything better from their school days. #oldhaters
tribanon 1 year, 8 months ago
GHS graduates now 65+ years of age would happily take you up on your challenge.
You're likely relatively young, probably a teacher/administrator involved in education, and definitely a great imbiber of the wrong kind of toxic kool-aid that has all but destroyed our public education system.
Many of the older members of our corrupt and elitist political ruling class (age 65+) received first class elementary and high-school educations in our public school system in their day. Those days are long gone.
The dumbing-down of our public school system began when SLOP decided well-educated voters would be a threat to his political future so he instructed Loftus Roker to 'Bahamianize' or otherwise 'darken' the entire teaching profession in The Bahamas almost over-night.
And since then, successive corrupt governments, whether PLP or FNM, have made it a point not to make public education a high priority for our nation despite the millions and millions of dollars poured into the ministry of education each year, much of which effectively gets stolen through corrupt government contracts given to cronies of the worst possible kind.
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