CXC reforms SBAs as student-loan arrears and North-South toll increases draw concern

The Caribbean Examinations Council will begin replacing traditional school-based assessments in most non-practical CSEC and CAPE subjects in 2027 because of concerns about artificial intelligence and examination integrity. Mathematics, English and principles of business are among the affected subjects. Students will complete alternative assessments under examination conditions after receiving topics one month beforehand, with additional time and permission to consult notes. Agriculture, visual arts and music will retain SBAs under tighter moderation.

The Students’ Loan Bureau reported that 48.22 per cent of borrowers were delinquent as of March 2026. Executive director Nikesha Walsh said unstable self-employment income, underemployment and competing expenses were among the reasons. The bureau expects its online payment portal and community outreach to help reduce arrears in 2026-27. Parliamentarians questioned whether interest rates and repayment terms were affordable, while Financial Secretary Darlene Marson warned that unpaid loans ultimately burden taxpayers.

Education Ministry permanent secretary Dr Katherine Troop also urged teachers’ colleges to recruit international students as Jamaica continues losing educators overseas. A survey found that 49 per cent of teachers who migrated or planned to leave identified low pay as their main reason. Troop cited Caribbean Maritime University’s international partnerships and growing admissions as a possible model.

In St Thomas, the body of 16-year-old Monroe College student Kamal Reynolds was recovered from Chalet Beach on Thursday. Police said he was swept away while swimming with football teammates during a camp in South Haven, Yallas. Rough seas had forced marine police and the JDF Coast Guard to suspend their search. Sources said the students left camp without their adult supervisors’ knowledge.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said two of three Jamaicans sent to Eswatini under the United States’ third-country deportation programme declined assistance to return home. Officials were still trying to contact the third man through Jamaica’s High Commission in South Africa.

Proposed North-South Highway tolls would raise the one-way Class 1 fare for the full route to $2,610, up $115, while Class 3 vehicles would pay $7,830. The Government said concession agreements link annual adjustments to United States inflation and the Jamaican-US exchange rate, but Transport Minister Daryl Vaz is seeking more affordable terms.

Other developments included residents’ objections to an approved cellular tower in Rosetta, St Ann; new permits intended to bring small ganja farmers into the regulated industry; security and traffic plans for Reggae Sumfest’s St Ann debut; plans to operationalise a 20 per cent government procurement set-aside for MSMEs; calls for more recovery funding after Hurricane Melissa; a Martinique reggae festival that attracted about 20,000 patrons; and more than 800 Canadian wildfires triggering air-quality alerts in parts of the United States.