St Kitts and Nevis has all of the devices needed to distribute to students and teachers during the new school term when it restarts the “One-to-One Laptop Initiative”.
Education minister Dr Geoffrey Hanley gave the update on Wednesday when he appeared on the Infocus program.
“The One-to-One Laptop [Initiative] will be rolled out in September as promised. All 8,000 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 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.”
Lisa Romaine Pistana, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, revealed the laptops are being outfitted with several tools to ensure students get the most out of the devices.
“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 the time,” said 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.”
Pistana said students in the third and fifth forms would receive their devices.
Students, teachers and parents will receive training on how to use the devices.
Pistana urged parents to ensure their children take care of the devices and utilise them effectively.