Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) results are out. Holidays can now really start for the 30,700 children who took part in those exams. On the whole, the performance is slightly higher compared to last year with an overall success rate of 63% compared to 62,6% last year. For ?first sitting children?, the success rate reaches 71.16% in 2004 compared to 69,89% in 2003. For those sitting a second time, the gap is even narrower with 37,44% this year compared to 37,27% in 2003.

The great innovation this year is the computerization of oriental languages in the CPE grading. Pupils sat for five or six subjects but only four have been computerized for the grading. The results, which do not differ much from last year, show that the inclusion of oriental languages has not had much influence on other subjects.

In other words, children have not spared their efforts on core subjects because they had decided to sit for an oriental language. They must have been conscious that they had to pass in English, Mathematics and French if they wanted to obtain their certificates.

Now that this step is over, children will face a lot of changes next year. The fact that school attendance has become compulsory until the age of 16 as from next January makes these results even more relevant.

The bill voted by the assembly recently, in conformity with international practice in the field of education, makes it compulsory for all children between 11 and 16 to attend a secondary or pre-vocational school recognized by the State.

Whether their results are good or bad, they?ll have to stay at school until they reach 16. Those who are less than 13 and who have failed the CPE exams have to repeat the exam. Those between 13 and 15 have to follow the pre-vocational courses.

The minister of Education, Steven Obeegadoo, thinks the new system will allow the ministry to better follow the children and to prevent any children roaming the streets when they should be at school. ?What will be set up as from next year is a clear process, which will be applicable to every school to allow a follow-up when a child is not at school. If this system doesn?t work, then the follow-up will be done at the ministry level. If it still doesn?t work, a steering committee at the national level will include all ministries and authorities concerned so that each case can be tackled.?

Steven Obeegadoo has promised that every child coming out of the CPE will have a seat in a school or pre-vocational department of public or private schools. He said this has been made possible by the construction of 34 new State schools within the last four years. ?The capacity to welcome students at secondary level had first to be increased before being able to implement compulsory attendance to school.? This is how he justified the fact that the ?international practice? was introduced only recently.

Hence, students received individual letters with their result slips last Saturday. Each has been allocated a seat in a college and parents have until Thursday to confirm their aceptance. Otherwise, the seat will be considered vacant.

With this new measure, the minister intends to help the most underprivileged children. ?I think the obstacles to a long scholarship are social, economic and cultural factors (?)? These parents should be keener on discussing their problems with the authorities, thus helping the government to help them. ?This law is supposed to change the lives of the poorest people. By encouraging them to come and see us and explain why their children are not going to school, and by giving them a possibility to experience social promotion.?

The minister intends to help the most underprivileged children. He thinks obstacles to a long scholarship are social, economic and cultural factors.

Despite the abolition of the ranking system in favour of grading, the anxiety linked to the CPE does not seem to have decreased. The idea of ?star schools? may have disappeared but children are still conditioned to do their best in the CPE. Of course, there?s nothing strange in the fact that parents want their children to succeed or in children doing their best to succeed. However, the great majority continues to take after-school tuition and parents still have an obsession about a ?good? college. For many families, school remains the best way of having a bright future and parents are ready to make many sacrifices for that. The ranking days are over but the system has not changed much, according to a teacher. It?s rooted in people?s minds. Some say it will change with time and that the notion of competition should soon be a thing of the past. Let?s hope so!