News

With just two months to go before the start of Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) tests, Amii Stewart, who attends the Portmore branch of Hutton's Educational Unit, is distressed over the uncertainty surrounding her registration for her exams in June.

Stewart is one of 1,000 students affected by the late payment of CXC examination fees by the institute, which has attracted a late penalty fee of $4.3 million.

"We've paid over our CXC fees, and did everything according to what CXC asked. We're supposed to hear from you and we're not hearing right now as to what's causing the lateness of the fees," an obviously upset Stewart told The Gleaner .

According to Stewart, Neville Hutton, the principal director of Hutton's, was recently on a radio programme where he said he had had dialogue with the students concerning the matter.

However, Stewart claims Hutton got upset when students questioned him about what had become of their exam payments, before walking out after meeting with them for five minutes.

She says, like hundreds of others attending the institution, her future, albeit an uncertain one, hinges on sitting the exams.

"I really need to do those CXCs right now as I'm planning on enrolling at UTech (the University of Technology, Jamaica) and the whole affair has dampened my spirit. It's really awful," said Stewart. Efforts to contact Neville Hutton have proven fruitless.

philip.hamilton@gleanerjm.com