Mathematics pass rate at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level rose to 34.5 per cent in 2026, up from 32 per cent last year, Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussain said on Tuesday.
Speaking during the release of the regional examinations results, Hussain reported that English also recorded improvement, with its pass rate increasing by three per cent, part of a broader trend that saw 23 of 35 subject areas post gains this year, compared with 12 that declined. The overall pass rate for Grades One to Three across all subjects stood at 67 per cent in 2026, up from 66 per cent in 2025.
Hussain attributed the mathematics improvement partly to the Government’s virtual “maths tent” initiative, which paired experienced Georgetown-based teachers with hinterland students through smart-board technology across 17 classes nationwide. He said the digital school programme also contributed to the results.
Several schools recorded sharp gains in mathematics passes. Bartica Secondary improved by 57 percentage points, while Bella Drum moved from zero to 81.49 per cent. Kwakwani rose from five per cent to 82.15 per cent, and South Ruimveldt climbed from eight per cent to 60 per cent. Queen’s College achieved 100 per cent passes in mathematics for the first time since 2020.
The Caribbean Examinations Council also piloted a modularised mathematics syllabus at Aurora, Richard Ishmael and Saint Ignatius secondary schools, breaking the subject into three components. Under the pilot, Aurora recorded an 88 per cent pass rate in the first module, while Saint Ignatius recorded 71 per cent. The modularised pass rate overall stood at 90 per cent.
Hussain said the results reflected sustained investment in both subjects, noting that resources including textbooks, geometry sets and calculators were provided without restriction. He commended teachers and the Ministry’s secondary sector staff for their role in the outcomes.
The improvements come despite the cohort having missed a conventional Form One year due to pandemic-related disruptions, with students only returning to physical classrooms on April 25, 2022.
Hussain said two subjects, Portuguese and textiles, clothing and fashion, recorded declines beyond five per cent and remained areas of concern for the Ministry, even as mathematics and English showed measurable progress across the wider system.
