Production on programmes for the Education Television Broadcasting Service (ETBS) is on schedule and set up of a broadcasting satellite and transmission expected to begin at month-end.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) said the programmes will be broadcast in Georgetown and coastal areas and gradually coverage would be extended to the whole country. Educational technology and multimedia for classroom and e-learning specialist Dr Seeta Shah Roath noted that when the service comes fully on stream, broadcast will start at 9am on schooldays. Programmes, she said, will be presented for nursery and primary students, followed by CXC, technical and vocational education and teacher education programmes during the rest of the day.
According to GINA, the initiative is part of government’s thrust to harness Information Communication Technology to aid in the delivery of quality education.
ETBS is a satellite communications open educational network, which is intended to reach communities countrywide including schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, households, community centres, health centres, learning resource centres and the public.
The ETBS team is tasked with producing and disseminating television programmes and audio/visual learning materials, developing and disseminating television and e-learning materials to be accessed through television sets and computers by educational institutions and home based individuals. It is also expected to facilitate televised educational broadcasts for government ministries and social service organisations using educational/instructional formats that address diverse learning needs and go beyond the basic interview, panel discussion and documentary formats. GINA said $147M has already been spent on the project while the 2011 budget indicates another $56M has been allocated for its operations this year.
