The government will pay examination fees for up to 10 CSEC subjects, five CAPE subjects and five CCSLC subjects per eligible student under a CXC support programme that Cabinet has now made permanent.
Caps Number State Funded
The policy formalises an initiative introduced during the last academic year, when the government began covering regional examination costs for hundreds of students. It applies to eligible students at public and private secondary schools, approved home-schooling programmes and the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies.
Government funding will cover candidates’ entry fees, subject fees and local examination fees for students sitting Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination and Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence subjects.
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said during Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing that the initiative is now an established government policy intended to prevent financial difficulties from blocking qualified students from obtaining regional certification.
To qualify, students must be citizens of Antigua and Barbuda or citizens of OECS countries that provide reciprocal benefits. They must also be enrolled in an approved institution, satisfy attendance requirements, be recommended by their principal and be taking the funded subjects for the first time.
The programme will not cover subjects beyond the approved limits, examination resits, rewrites intended to improve previous grades, script reviews, late registration penalties or amendment fees after registration deadlines. Merchant said students repeating subjects or querying grades will have to meet those costs themselves.
Students receiving the assistance will also be required to maintain satisfactory attendance, complete their School-Based Assessments, demonstrate appropriate conduct and sit the examinations for which the government has paid.
Those who fail to complete their SBAs or do not sit registered examinations without an approved reason could be required to reimburse the government for the associated fees.
The programme was introduced during the 2025–2026 academic year as a measure to reduce the financial burden of regional examinations on families. The new policy requires the Ministry of Education to make annual budgetary provisions for the fees, verify student eligibility and monitor participation, expenditure and examination outcomes.
