Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 17, 2023 (SKNIS): Computer literacy in schools will be further strengthened following the re-implementation of the One-to-One Laptop Initiative in all primary and secondary learning institutions in St. Kitts and Nevis when school reopens for the 2023-2024 Academic Year on Monday, September 04.
This was according to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Honourable Dr. Geoffrey Hanley during the August 16 edition of Infocus. He noted that the initiative would redound to the benefit of all.
“The One-to-One Laptop [programme] will be rolled out in September as promised. All 8000 devices are here, and we are putting in the necessary network. Most, if not all are in place and why I said not all is because one aspect of it is to make sure that we have the proper connectivity,” said Dr. Hanley. “That is a project that is ongoing in terms of the fiber optic cables that are being laid and we are going to have them all laid at our high schools. So, we are getting ready to start with that distribution.”
According to Lisa Romaine Pistana, Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Education, before distribution, the laptops will be outfitted with several tools aimed at ensuring that the students positively maximize the devices’ use.
“A device without something on it is just like a book with pages. We are going to be placing on [the devices’] a learning management system, and parents, teachers and students will be able to track students’ progress during time,” said Mrs. Pistana. “The books that are on the laptop will be interactive and students can take their assessments so [there will be] no need for pen and paper. And, for ease of the teachers, it can be graded if there is multiple choice on the actual device.”
PS Pistana said that the laptops will be rolled out in phases starting with the third and fifth-form students. Equally important, she noted that teachers, students and parents will undergo adequate training to equip them with the proper use and management of the devices.
“Parents, you have a responsibility, you must take care of the device… rules are set for a reason, and we expect the parents to model and to guide their children accordingly,” said the permanent secretary.
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