Over 5,000 primary school students across Guyana are set to benefit from the launch of a digital education project.
According to a Ministry of Education (MoE) release yesterday, the agreement which was signed on May 24, 2019, in Washington D.C, USA, will allow students to benefit from the use of technologies and well as incorporate innovative methodologies in classrooms at the primary level. In the long term, it is expected that the students will have access to digital content and interactive materials for improving their learning experiences.
ProFuturo is an education programme launched in 2016 by Telefónica Foundation and “La Caixa” Foundation, with a mission to narrow the education gap in the world by providing quality digital education for children in vulnerable environments in Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
The project was launched on Monday at Hosororo Primary School in Region One (Barima-Waini). Currently, 449 teachers from 28 schools across Guyana have received or are in the process of receiving training in the use of the technologies and other intricacies associated with the project for its rollout at the other schools.
In her remarks at the project launch, the Education Minister Dr Nicolette Henry declared that such a project demonstrates the Government of Guyana’s commitment to reducing the disparity that exists between the coast and hinterland communities. She added that today’s children are living in an exciting time when information is more accessible and in order for them to be competitive at the global level, Information Communication Technology (ICT) must play a central role in the education delivery process.
The project centres on the teachers and the students utilising tablets, laptops and other gadgets and devices, to assist with methodologies and content in the classroom. Guyana is the first country in the Caribbean to meet the criteria to qualify for participation in the project.
The release added that the following primary schools are slated to benefit from the project: All Saints, Amelia’s Ward, Bamia, Barabina, Betsy Ground, Christianburg, Cumberland, Coomacka, Edinburgh, Fort Ordinance, Gangaram, Hosororo, Lochaber, Mabaruma, McKenzie, New Amsterdam, One Mile, Overwinning, Regma, Rose Hall Estate, Sandvoort, Sheet Anchor, St Aidens, St Aloysius, St Therese’s, Watooka Day, Wauna, and Wismar Hill.
