In an effort to develop the education system through technology in Saint Lucia, the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), donated technological school equipment under the ICT for Educational Development Project.

The Government of the Republic of China contributed 10 charging ports, 20 projectors, numerous laptops, and projector screens will be provided to six selected primary and secondary schools in Saint Lucia.

The equipment will be used to apply Information Technology in developing teaching materials for specialized courses and to create a smart learning environment. Other handheld devices such as tablets, and the interactive touch screen TV will also be provided in the near future.

Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to Saint Lucia, His Excellency Douglas Shen expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the project.

“Software is as much as golden as hardware. I'm more than happy to tell you that the that three ICT capacity-building seminars for teachers were successfully held last year. Soon, the training courses for the computer programming language scratch will be open for registration at no cost in May. And the details for the multimedia competition and the related pioneer workshop will be announced shortly after this project. ICT opens up another dimension of learning. We sincerely hope that through the implementation of the project, teachers and students will have the opportunity to explore different learning experiences in the field empowered and confident to pursue their passion and their dreams.”

In the first instance, the project will span over a period of three years. The first two years, will see donations of equipment and teacher training. During the third year, the focus will be on online platform development and the training of end users to become familiar and comfortable with that platform.

Minister for Education, Hon. Dr Gale Rigobert expressed gratitude to the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for the donations received.

“We are truly elated to receive this equipment from the Government of the Republic of China, (Taiwan),” she said.

The School Equipment Establishment Ceremony for the ICT for Educational Development Project was held at the Auberge Seraphine Hotel in Vigie, on Feb. 21.