Post Cabinet Briefing Summary – Thursday 18th August, 2016

The Honourable Anthony Garcia, Minister of Education, addressed members of the media during the Post Cabinet Press Briefing today (Thursday 18th August, 2016) at the Office of the Prime Minister, St. Clair, Port of Spain.

During the briefing, Minister Garcia shared some analysis of the recently released results of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

According to the Ministry of Education, 94.6% of students who sat UNIT 1 of the CAPE examinations achieved results ranging from Grades 1-5. (These grades constitute a passing grade.) With respect to CAPE Unit 2 results, 94% of 10,796 examined students received a passing grade. This marks a slight improvement over last year’s results.

With respect to CSEC results, 67% of students achieved a passing grade (Grades 1-3) in 2016. Moreover, 58 % of students achieved a full certificate which consists of five (5) passes and approximately 54% of students achieved a full certificate including the subjects of Mathematics and English A.

Minister Garcia noted that there has been a slight decline in the pass rate of Mathematics this academic year (when compared to last year) while there has been an increase in that of English A. In response to questions posed, Minister Garcia also announced that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago has decided to award approximately four hundred (400) scholarships.

The Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley, also addressed the briefing.

Prime Minister Rowley announced that the Parliamentary recess will come to an end on September 9th.

The Prime Minister also addressed rumours of his “physical well-being”. Dr. Rowley confirmed that his doctors have pronounced him to be in good health and that there are no existent health challenges facing him which would prohibit him from carrying out his responsibilities.

The Prime Minister also expressed his disappointment at the poor practice of publishing unconfirmed rumours about his health on the front page of daily newspapers. However, Dr. Rowley took the opportunity to thank all those who extended their support and well-wishes to him and his family during this time.

Prime Minister Rowley also urged Trinbagonian males to resist being “macho” in the face of subjecting oneself to medical checks such as prostate examinations, particularly men of African descent who are at a higher risk of experiencing the disease.