THE GOVERNMENT is to announce the final decision on the sitting of the 2020 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) by next Monday.

In a virtual meeting held by the Overseas Examinations Commission and the education ministry yesterday, more than 90 per cent of principals voted for an exam sitting in July or August.

Acting Chief Education Officer Dr Kasan Troupe presented psychometric data as the method of deriving grades for Jamaican candidates instead of sitting the paper one examination.

Minister with responsibility for education Karl Samuda noted that the principals’ votes were not the major deciding factor as the health ministry would determine the feasibility of students’ return to school.

Earlier this week, Samuda said Jamaica could not endorse the decision of its CARICOM partners to hold exams in July, owing to the impact that COVID-19 has had on the education sector locally.