GIS - Education ministers of OECS member states are meeting in Saint Lucia, this week, to discuss advancing the region’s education sector.
The two day meeting themed, “Transforming OECS Education: Embracing ICTs for the Success of Every Learner,” opened with an official ceremony at the Rex Saint Lucian Hotel, Rodney Bay on Oct. 22.
Minister for Education, Human Resource Development and Labor, Hon. Dr. Robert Lewis said schools’ ICT programs need to be revised to make classrooms more technologically compliant.
“For example, some countries have that one laptop per child in secondary school. Other countries are beginning to think about giving tablets, and there are so many gadgets that we’re thinking that we should give to students. But there is also the intervention that many schools are beginning to think about is to have classrooms that are totally ICT compliant.”
Minister Lewis said teacher training is essential for the development of smart-classrooms.
“The biggest issue is teacher training, because the biggest problem will be how do you get the teachers who are accustomed to working in one mode, although teachers work with different technology, but the biggest barrier might be the generational gap. Because many of our teachers are not necessarily trained on these gadgets.”
Other matters to be discussed at the OECS Council of Ministers of Education meeting include substantive issues regarding education development in the OECS, support and collaboration of regional agencies and development partners in advancing the education development agenda, and ideas and successful practices that have contributed to educational development at the national level.