68,850 laptops for students by end of September; 4,000 for teachers: PM Kamla

Laptops for students - Newsday photo

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told students at the St James Secondary School Thursday the laptop programme for secondary school students would go down in history "as one of our greatest and most progressive policies in education".   

She made the comment as she distributed laptop computers to students beginning the new school year.

The PM noted that by the end of September the total number of computers distributed since the start of the program in 2010 would be 68,850 laptops to students and an additional 4000 to teachers.

She added that by 2015, the number would be about 90,850, ensuring that the first set of graduates from the laptop programme would emerge with computing and information technology skills that would increase their competitiveness in an information-led global economy.

She noted that when the program started in her government's first year in office the country rose 16 per cent in the global competitiveness index.

Persad-Bissessar said the use of computers has caused the Ministry of Education to begin radical rewrite of the schools’ curriculum that includes ICT.
She also spoke about additional support for the programme:

• Training to 8671 Teachers in Digital Literacy
• 3000 Laptops to our Secondary Schools’ Teachers
• 469 Laptops to our Primary Schools’ Principals
• 138 Laptops to our Secondary Schools’ Principals
• 52 Laptops to our School Supervisors
• Within the next 6 weeks we will complete distribution of Audio Visual equipment to all Primary schools comprising
• 500 - 55 inches Smart Televisions
• 500 - interactive multimedia projectors
• 500 – Radios / CD players
• 126 laboratories at our Secondary Schools; currently working to ensure laboratories are commissioned at the remaining secondary schools
• 295 laboratories at our Primary Schools; remaining Primary Schools will be outfitted with laboratories during the next academic
• year
• Internet services in 128 Secondary Schools and 272 Primary Schools to date

"This service will complement the use of the laptops and laboratories and
exposes our nation's teachers and students to an unlimited repository of
resources and information," the PM stated.

"We have recruited 124 ICT Technicians who are assigned to Secondary
Schools throughout the country. These ICT Technicians also provide repair services to an average of 3 Primary Schools and maintain all of the ICT equipment that we have implemented and will continue to implement in the near future.

"The results, of course, have been promising; with more students are now doing IT at the CSEC level and CAPE level with better academic performance."