Sep 18, 2026
3 min read
For 16-year-old Rebecca Smartt, the decision to pursue the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) was about more than continuing her education—it was about keeping her mind active while preparing herself for university.
“I didn't want to stay home and relax and get my mind sluggish,” Smartt said. “I feel like it will give me more of a boost if I go to university.”
Smartt is among the first group of students at JC Chandisingh Secondary in Port Mourant to pursue CAPE, following the introduction of the programme at the school this year.
The move is opening a new pathway for students in the central Corentyne area, who previously had to travel to New Amsterdam or elsewhere to access CAPE.
For Smartt, the programme offers the transition she wanted between the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and university.
“The CAPE programme is like a pre-university, like in between university and CSEC,” she explained. “I didn't want to go straight to university. I wanted to focus on the subject that I want to do right now.”
JC Chandisingh Secondary is the first school on the Corentyne to offer CAPE, with the programme introduced after its administration identified the need for greater access to advanced secondary studies closer to students' homes.
Principal Sabereena Supaul said the vision for introducing CAPE began taking shape in 2024, when she assumed leadership of the school.
She said interest from students and parents has been encouraging, although some applicants have not met the entry requirements.
“What we found out is that the students within the central area, they don't have that alternative. They just can go to BHS or New Amsterdam Secondary if they want to further their education themselves in the CAPE programme,” Supaul said.
For families, she noted, travelling to New Amsterdam can mean additional costs and time.
The school has advertised 21 CAPE subjects, including Accounting, Biology, Information Technology, Environmental Science, Integrated Mathematics, Financial Services Studies, Geography and Chemistry.
Supaul believes the programme can also help students adjust to the demands of tertiary education.
“A child choosing to do the CAPE programme over going to the University of Guyana after completing their CXC puts them at the advantage in transitioning into the university,” she said.
“It kind of bridges that gap there from high school to the university.”
For 14-year-old Aria Algu, CAPE is also a step towards a specific career ambition.
Algu wrote five CSEC subjects while in Fourth Form, allowing her to qualify for the programme this year. Her goal is to pursue medicine.
“I joined the CAPE programme because I can just go straight to med school after it,” she said.
Sixteen-year-old Odecia Akela Odelia Crandon is taking Sociology, Biology, Chemistry, Agricultural Science and Integrated Mathematics as she prepares for university.
She had initially planned to attend the University of Guyana but decided that CAPE would give her a stronger academic foundation before making that transition.
“I wanted to further my studies before I go to UG, so I have a little bit of an understanding at a higher level of study before I go to UG,” Crandon said.
And for Crandon, there is another practical benefit—the programme is close to home.
“JC is closer to my area and New Amsterdam is a little further,” she said.
For JC Chandisingh Secondary, the introduction of CAPE represents an expansion of opportunities beyond the traditional secondary-school pathway.
