It’s official- July 13th has been named as the start date for the Caribbean Examinations Council’s CAPE and CSEC examinations.

“CXC is a regional examination body and when all the ministers of education, on behalf of their governments, come to an agreement, we have to abide by the collective decision of the regional governments,” Education Minister Anthony Garcia said as he made the announcement at a press briefing on Friday.

Minister Garcia said a note was taken to Cabinet the day before (Thursday) and full agreement was given.

Meanwhile, classes will resume on September 1st.

What will be the exam format?

Exams will comprise of a Multiple Choice Paper and a School Based Assessment (SBA). For subjects where there is no SBA, a Paper Two (long paper) will be administered.

The SBA for Visual Arts would be replaced with a written journal, while Sport or Physical Education will write on plans for a tournament.

SBA deadlines have been extended to June 30th and teachers and students will be allowed at school until June 7th to facilitate the completion of their projects.

Revised official timetables are expected to be released by next week.

What safety measures will be employed?

Minister Garcia says the Education Ministry has been in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to provide thermal scanners for students and teachers.

Multiple classrooms will also be used to spread out students in accordance with physical distancing guidelines.

What’s the decision on the Secondary Entrance Assessment Exam?

Minister Garcia said he has met with the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) however a date has not yet been decided.