PM Says Government May Limit Free CXC Subjects for Students

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government may impose a limit on the number of Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects it will fund for students, while also supporting a proposal that university students pay to repeat courses they fail.

Speaking on his weekly radio programme, Browne responded to a listener who suggested that the government should only cover the cost of up to eight CSEC subjects per student and require parents to pay for any additional examinations.

“I think that person is absolutely right,” Browne said. “There should be a cap, and that is something that we will consider, as I said eight, if not eight, maybe ten. If you want to do 20, 20-something subjects, I don’t know that the government should be undertaking that liability.”

The remarks come days after the government announced that it would cover the cost of all CSEC subjects for students as part of a broader effort to expand access to education.

The caller argued that while the initiative was commendable, public resources should be managed carefully and students taking unusually large numbers of subjects should bear some of the additional costs.

Browne also endorsed another recommendation that students at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus should pay for any courses they fail and need to repeat.

“On the issue of failure, university classes and so on, I do accept that recommendation that they should pay for the resit themselves because they must have skin in the game,” he said.

The Prime Minister did not indicate when a decision on a CSEC subject cap might be made but said the proposal would be considered by the government.

His comments suggest that while the administration remains committed to expanding educational opportunities, it is also examining ways to ensure that students share responsibility for the costs associated with their academic choices and performance.