Several Year 12 government school students from the Cayman Islands Centre for Further Education are being given the opportunity to make an early start in their tertiary education studies for the second year running.
According to representatives from the Ministry of Education,the programme has been enhanced and now contains college readiness elements.
The Caymanian Compass spoke to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry Mrs. Mary Rodrigues who explained the idea behind the Cayman Islands Centre for Further Education and how it differs from the Sixth Form that was discontinued in the government’s system some time ago and what existed in its place for the last few years.
“We don’t have the Sixth Form anymore to facilitate those who want to do their A Levels. For some time now it has been the CXC exams and that was it, unless they had passes and expressed interest in further education, in which case the government would then have given a grant to supplement their tuition to the University College of the Cayman Islands.”
“Whereas Sixth Form was only accessible to the most academically proficient students, CIFEC caters to everyone, as all students are important,” she said. “That is our approach. It means that if a student did not pass their CXC exams, they have an opportunity to resit. Previously in the Sixth Form system, resits were not formal and were done in special circumstances, but now any student who does not pass Math and English is mandated to resit the exam as part of their CIFEC requirements for preparation for higher learning.”
With many of the high school graduates in the Islands being quite young, the permanent secretary said it is important for us to do everything we can to prepare them to transition to college. She said this included not only college prep courses but also familiarisation with college life and expectations of colleges.
Minister for Education Rolston Anglin elaborated: “Last year many or our Year 12 students proved that they had been well prepared for college success, which is just one of our CIFEC options. As a result, we now have students who have earned college credits at 16 and 17 years old.”
He added that the challenge this year was to build on this achievement, as well as to give all who select the CIFEC option the best possible chance of success. The Ministry of Education and the Department of Education Services and UCCI have partnered to provide additional elements to the programme.
Some of the opportunities for students CIFEC offers students is to resit CXC/GCSE/GCE examinations, improve grades, Advance Placement studies, and to attend UCCI or to study A Levels.
In addition to having a homeroom space at the University College of the Cayman Islands, the CIFEC participants will also have a tutorial structure that offers them increased guidance and monitoring, as well as the support through UCCI’s Student Services Unit and faculty advisors.
Access to new specialised courses developed by UCCI introduce the young people to college life and develop their critical thinking skills. These courses are also worth college credits.
“At UCCI we welcome the opportunity to enhance our role in the CIFEC Dual-Entry Programme. We have embraced the challenge set by the Ministry this year to create an enhanced learning environment, with additional programmes and support for our CIFEC students. While we are finalising some matters, our Student Services team is already working with these young people and the new programmes are under way,” said president for the University Roy Bodden.
A joint Ministry/UCCI formal information session for participating students and their parents will be announced shortly.
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