The alarming number of students who did not sit this year’s May-June Caribbean Examination Council exams has prompted one psychiatrist to ask if the exam methods need to be changed.
More than 100,000 students across the region registered to sit the CSEC and CAPE examinations. However, more than 35,900 candidates, approximately 35%, did not show up to write their exams.
Psychiatrist Dr Varma Deyalsingh has suggested that the Caribbean Examination Council may have to change its method of examining students.
“Is it that the way that the exams are now going is somehow not connecting with our students now? Now CXC exams was there, and a lot of persons did it, but you have to look at there being a change, a psychological change occurring in children worldwide. Is it now that CXC has to now fit back in to a different way, a different modality, something that could attract the children? Go back to some system that is now going to be meaningful for the children to learn with their minds changing with this quick turnover of material. So you have to look at that.”
The psychiatrist noted that an overwhelming fear of failure is likely one of the reasons that students stayed away from the exam room.
“If a child is not prepared, a child now will have that fear of going into that exam because you know you’re going into an exam and you know you’re probably not prepared. And you have to know now that fear would be shouting louder than courage to go and face the exam. So they are scared, and they are scared probably of disappointing parents, their peers, their families and themselves with that possibility of failure.”
The CXC released the examination results for the May/June examinations on August 18th, 2026.
Dr Deyalsingh said some students who fell short of their expectations in the exams may be showing signs of depression. He explained the symptoms to look out for and when support may be needed.
“So if they’re withdrawn, if they’re not speaking, if they’re not seeing friends. If they are now being all alone, not talking, not eating, and not even enjoying things they used to enjoy. Let us say before that they used to do plenty of gaming, and you were always quarrelling with them ‘get out the games and do your work’ but now they’re not even bothering with that. That is a sign that a child may be having a sort of depressive episode coming on. If their mood changes, if they start to have anger outbursts, crying, talking about hopelessness, or even show physical signs.”