Published in The Sunday Gleaner, May 3, 2015
Title: Administering Overseas Examinations in Jamaica – A
History of the Overseas Examinations Commission, 1887-2007
Author: Patrick E. Bryan
Their mission is to “effectively and efficiently
administer access to exams and provide applicable accompanying support”. Their
watchwords? Integrity, reliability, innovation and efficiency.
With more than 128 years under its belt, the Overseas
Examinations Commission (OEC) has been the silent champion of Jamaican futures:
working behind the scenes to facilitate the smooth running of overseas
examinations in the island.
Most people know about the importance of the Caribbean
Examinations Council’s (CXC) flagship exams at the high-school level: the
Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced
Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), but very few know about the OEC’s work to
ensure that these exams are reliably and accurately administered every year.
In addition, the OEC oversees a United Kingdom-based
international suite of secondary exams; conducts seminars for teachers, students
and private candidates; prepares, issues, verifies and replaces exam results
and certificates; collates exam statistics; and handles queries, re-mark
requests and transcripts.
They have been the silent enablers of millions of
Jamaicans who use these exams as stepping stones to tertiary education or as
qualifiers for the world of work.
To celebrate their longevity, the OEC has published a
book on the history of their organisation. Titled ‘Administering Overseas
Examinations in Jamaica – A History of the Overseas Examinations Commission,
1887-2007’, the book, written by Professor Patrick Bryan, chronicles the development
of the OEC from a small, voluntary committee to an internationally recognised commission.
In nine chapters, Bryan gives insight into the history of
what has become an indispensable part of the Jamaican exams landscape. As he
states in his introduction, the telling of the OEC’s story “is an extension of
the story of high-school education and education policy in Jamaica”. The book
will, therefore, prove useful for those seeking a deeper understanding of how
the nation’s education and examination systems have developed over the years.
There are tables showing the figures for exam entrance
fees, the numbers of candidates sitting these exams, and the passes in each
over the years. There are also pictures of some of the country’s oldest and
finest educational institutions and educators, as well as of chairmen and
executive teams who have led the OEC.
Speaking on the relevance of this book to Jamaican
history and heritage, Professor Bryan says, “One thing missing in Jamaica is
solid work on its history of education. This is very important because
education has been one of the major means of mobilisation for the poor man.”
“[Parents] want to be sure their children are sitting in
exams where they can do their best. They want to know that when they get
results, they can believe that that is what they did … that it is reliable
internationally,” added Neville Ying, current chairman of the OEC. With this in
mind, they have produced a book which shows how, over the years, the OEC has developed
and implemented a system to ensure that exams are conducted with integrity,
reliability, innovation and efficiency.
