As one of the Caribbean’s most influential long-standing education institutions opens the doors to its 2026 May-June examination season, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC®) has issued a heartfelt, region-wide call for collective support for thousands of assessment candidates, while marking a major milestone in Caribbean education with the launch of its first pilot micro-credential program.
In a public video address shared April 27 from CXC® headquarters in Bridgetown, Barbados, Registrar and CEO Dr. Wayne Wesley extended a personal message of encouragement to candidates, their families, teachers and education stakeholders across the Caribbean, as the region’s largest annual assessment cycle gets underway. This year’s exam session carries unique historic weight for the 54-year-old institution, which was founded in 1972 to build an indigenous, Caribbean-centered assessment system that aligns with the region’s cultural realities, collective aspirations and sovereign identity.
Dr. Wesley emphasized that despite nearly five decades of evolution since CXC® administered its first full set of exams in 1979, the organization’s core commitments have never wavered. “While much has changed over time, there are some things which have stood the test of time — the cultural relevance of our syllabuses, the global recognition of our qualifications, the diligence of our staff, and our absolute commitment to the success of every single candidate who sits a CXC-administered examination,” he stated.
This year’s session includes the full range of CXC® qualifications, spanning the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®), Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate® (CSEC®), Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence® (CCSLC®) and Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment™ (CPEA™). But the most anticipated new development of the 2026 cycle is the pilot launch of the Caribbean Targeted Education Certificate (CTEC) Mathematics Module 1, an innovative micro-credential initiative designed to expand flexible learning pathways for Caribbean students. More than 2,400 registered candidates across 13 CXC member states will participate in the pilot, earning stackable CTEC credits that count toward full CSEC® certification — a groundbreaking shift for regional assessment frameworks.
The CTEC program emerged from planning and discussions held at CXC®’s inaugural Regional Education Conference and Ministerial Forum, co-hosted with Jamaica’s Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information in Kingston this past March. Widely described by education observers as a watershed moment for Caribbean learning, the four-day summit brought together more than 400 education leaders, policymakers and practitioners from 27 countries to address ongoing challenges in teaching, learning and assessment for the digital age. At the conference, Dr. Wesley argued that regional assessment systems must adapt to how today’s digital-native learners process and engage with knowledge, noting that educational equity is not a tradeoff for academic excellence, but rather its core foundation.
“This is the future of Caribbean education, taking shape right now,” Dr. Wesley declared of the CTEC pilot and CXC®’s evolving mission. In closing his message to 2026 exam candidates, he offered practical, personal guidance for final preparation: “As you make your final preparations — use your study time wisely. Look after yourself and your mental wellbeing. Eat well. And rest when you need to. Be confident. Show up for all of your examinations. You’ve got this!”