MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
CIRCULAR NO: 13/2023
REF. NO. ED: 15/2/1
FROM: Chief Education Officer
TO: Deputy Chief Education Officers
Directors, NCERD and School Boards Secretariat
Chief Planning Officer
Chief Schools Inspector
Assistant Chief Education Officers
Principal, CPCE
Senior Education Officers
Heads of Education Departments
District Education Officers,
Headteachers of Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Special Needs Schools
DATE: 24th October 2023
SUBJECT: GUIDELINES FOR SUBJECTS TO BE OFFERED BY SECONDARY
SCHOOLS AT GRADES 10 & 11
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has taken the decision to amend the current policy that guides subjects
to be offered in Grades 10 and 11 of secondary schools with the main objective of providing an enabling
environment for students to maximize their talents, while being successful. This decision forms part of
MoE’s continued effort to modernize the education system towards reflecting and addressing the
changing and diverse needs of students.
In the creation of streams and the streaming of students into Grade 10, the MoE wishes to advise all
secondary schools of the following guidelines:
1. Each stream must offer the following:
(a) Information Technology (IT) and/or Electronic Document Preparation and Management
(EDPM).
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(b) A foreign language.
(c) A Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) subject.
2. All schools must allow students to do subjects across streams. However, students must inform
their school of the ‘cross-stream’ subjects they are doing before the completion of the Christmas
term while in Grade 10.
3. Students of the Sixth Form and List A schools must be allowed to do any number of subjects in
Grade 10, including subjects across streams. Students must inform the school of the additional
subjects they are doing before the completion of the Christmas term while in Grade 10.
However, schools can ask students to withdraw from any ‘cross-stream’ subject if they are
unable to maintain a satisfactory grade in the ‘streamed’ or ‘cross-streamed’ subjects or if they
are unable to meet School Based Assessments (SBAs) deadlines.
4. Grade 11 students of the Sixth Form and List A schools can enter for any number of subjects at
the CSEC examinations at the public school that they are attending. However, the student’s
School Based Assessment (SBA) must be at an acceptable standard required by the school.
5. Grade 10 students of the Sixth Form, List A and List B schools can choose to enter for
Mathematics, English A, English B, EDPM, HSB and/or a foreign language or any other subject
at the public schools that they are attending. If a student has attained a pass grade (Grades 1, 2 or
3) in a subject written in Grade 10, then he or she does not have to re-sit the subject in Grade
11. To be clear, all subjects written in Grade 10 will count towards the student’s graduation and
matriculation at the end of Grade 11.
6. A school cannot prevent a student from writing a subject at the CSEC examinations except if his
or her SBA has not met the national deadlines. That is, the practice by schools of
‘recommending’ students to write a subject must be discontinued.
7. On entering Grade 10, a student can choose to withdraw from subjects offered in their stream if
these subjects do not support their intended career path. Students can withdraw from subjects in
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their stream to do ‘cross-streamed’ subjects which are better aligned to their career path.
Students may also withdraw from subjects to better manage their workload. The request to
withdraw from a subject can be made at any time in Grade 10 and until the CSEC registration
period in the Christmas Term of Grade 11. The request to withdraw from a subject must be
requested by the parent/guardian and approved by the school. However, a student cannot do
less than 5 subjects.
8. Where possible, schools should begin the implementation of these guidelines immediately.
This circular amends circular No. 1/2017 dated 26th April 2017.
Kindly ensure that you bring the contents of this circular to the attention of all members of staff and that
they affix their signatures and the date thereon.
Yours respectfully,
Saddam Hussain
Chief Education Officer
For Information Copied to:
1. Honourable. Minister of Education 1. Secretary, Teaching Service Commission
2. Permanent Secretary, MoE 2. Regional Chairman, Regions 1 – 10
3. General Secretary, Guyana Teachers’ 3. Chairman of the Regional Education
Union Committee, Regions 1 – 10
4. Regional Executive Officer, Regions 1 –
10
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