Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 08, 2018 (SKNIS): Integrating more technology in the classroom is a key focus for officials in the Ministry of Education as they seek to further unlock the potential of young minds in St. Kitts and Nevis.
To date, the computer laboratories at the Bronte Welsh and Cayon Primary Schools in rural St. Kitts have been upgraded and outfitted with robust desktop machines. The computers were donated by the St. Kitts-based Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, which has committed to outfit all rural primary schools with PCs and some supporting infrastructural tools. Upgrade work is currently being carried out at the laboratories at the Dieppe Bay, Newton Ground, Sandy Point, Joshua O. Williams and Dean Glasford Primary Schools. The upgrades should be complete by the first quarter of 2018 in all of the schools except for Sandy Point primary, which has been selected to test a new learning model that will result in additional changes being made to the computer laboratory. The remaining schools will be upgraded in a second phase.
The initiative is a part of the Education Sector Plan 2017 to 2021, which was launched last November under the theme: “Education for all: Embracing Change, Securing the Future.” The plan’s main design is to ensure that all learners possess the necessary skills to be successful in the current evolving global environment.
Technology is the way to go,” explained the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, William Hodge, on this week’s (January 08) edition of the radio and television programme Working for You.
Teachers will also be equipped with the necessary skills to deliver content in the classroom using the computer tools. A course is currently being taught at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College by Education Planner, Quinton Morton, which explores Infusing Technology in Instruction.
Director of the Education Management Information Systems Department, Christopher Herbert, said resources in support of the strategic project were procured from the Catholic University of America through the Organization of American States (OAS). This project falls under an initiative to craft an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) integration policy and strategy.
“What we are seeking to do is to align all of our ICT content delivery, ICT assessment, ICT curriculum activities with that strategy,” Mr. Herbert stated. “Of course the strategy is in complete alignment with our Education Sector Plan.”
That section of the plan relates to knowledge management for enhancement of management, planning, and policy.
