"AT THE global table, our students and teachers cannot and will not compete if they are not versed in technology. Therefore, their learning experiences must be tailored to prepare them for the reality of a world that has gone digital." These were the words of Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly at the launch of the ministry's digital transformation programme – MoE Access: Unlocking the Future of Education.
The launch was held on Tuesday morning at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.
The programme, through the ministry's website, has three sub-sections: services, systems and solutions.
It offers online teacher registration, teacher training tool kits, human resources support, school infrastructure/issue management, e-books, e-testing, exam results, among other things.
Gadsby-Dolly said education and technology enjoy a symbiotic relationship. While she believes the basic principles of an educational foundation remain unchanged, "Combining these foundations with the power of digital technology will provide the robust educational experience that is required for our citizens..."
She said the ministry has been "quietly but consistently" expanding its digital offerings., adding that the covid19 pandemic only "catapulted" the process forward.
"...At was often an uncomfortable pace...but transformation is seldom comfortable and change can be difficult."
She said education in TT must be modern, relevant, of high quality and equitable for all.
She shared five objectives of digitisation within the ministry: Supporting the embedding of digital technology in teaching, learning and assessing, upgrading digital technology infrastructure all schools, promoting administrative growth and increased value from service delivery improvements, supporting vulnerable and marginalised populations within communities, and applying dedicated funding and resources to facilitate upskilling of all personnel.
"Education takes a village," she said.
The Prime Minister said he was "particularly pleased" to witness such an initiative being launched and praised Gadsby-Dolly and her team for the "excellence" being delivered "to accelerate our children’s use of digital technologies in their educational pursuits.
"Today’s launch marks a continuation of the good work that the ministry has been doing to leverage technology in order to deliver improved access to education for citizens."
Dr Rowley said one of the government's guiding principles is its commitment to ensuring citizens have the opportunity to access services, tools and resourced needed "to enable them to live, work and prosper as we overcome the many challenges of the recent past."
Rowley said the opportunities when it comes to digital transformation are "limitless," which the country saw during the height of the covid19 pandemic when many things moved online.
"What these events have shown us is that digital technology, when appropriately deployed and made accessible to everyone, has the power to positively transform our lives for the better.
"Transformation also
