Education Minister, Petter Saint Jean, has responded to criticisms by some individuals as it relates to the ‘one tablet per child program’ stating that it is not about handouts.
The program is to be launched at the Pierre Charles Secondary School on Wednesday and Saint Jean said the devices are being distributed to ensure quality education.
“This government has come in, in such a way where we are saying that look we will assist you in providing tablets for you, because it is a necessary learning teaching tool in this day and age,” he said on Kairi’s Heng program on Monday. “This is not about handout; this is about ensuring that the Dominican children have the requisite tools to ensure that they access quality education and that they can build for themselves a future.”
He also said the tablets are of high quality.
“We will ensure that when we give a tablet to secondary and college students they will have something that will last them,” Saint Jean explained.
Minister for Information, Science, Telecommunication and Technology, Kelver Darroux stated that the issuing of the tablets is a sign that the government of Dominica ensures that promises are kept to the Dominican people.
“I would like to say really and truly to those who doubted this government that if you look at our track record we’ve ensured that we kept our promises to the Dominican people,” he explained. “It may not happen right away because with all things you may encounter challenges and difficulty, but we’ve been able to climb over these challenges, face these challenges head-on and to ensure that at the end of the day we are able to deliver to the Dominican people.”
Darroux continued, “So when the pronouncement was made that we would have been delivering tablets, we were laughed at, we were mocked, there were all kinds of rumours going around, but here it is today this government is delivering on its promise to provide the requisite tools to our students.”
The tablets were promised by the Dominica Labour Party during the general election campaign last year.
Maybe it is not about handouts, but it is certainly about dishonesty. When Skeritt and Kelver made the announcement about tablets during the election campaign in St. Joseph, Dominicans were never told that the tablets were going to be gifts from the Government of Dominica. Skeritt and Kelver were dressed in red Tshirts on a political platform , therefore, how did the Ministry of Education got involved. They fooled the parents of the children in order to solicit their votes, jump high, jump low that was dishonesty to the maximum.
Hello and good morning my people. I am still waiting for someone or Mr St Jean to tell me what makes him qualify to be Education Minister. What is his education background and does he have a College Degree with a concentration in education. Please educate me. I read about so many Politicians in Dominica who move from Government position to Goverment position but I don’t hear about there qualification to hold said position. We need qualify people who aren’t necessarily party supporters to help move our Country forward.
Where are the students we send abroad to school so where are the Construction Engineers because my aunt told me ninety percent of the bridges got washed away or damaged.
But, the way some universities are set up your first two years of studying there is equivalent to being in a junior college. If he had any college education he would have known that, and not traveled to St. Martin to make a fool of himself!
Admin: if the main part of my comments about the facts relating to that man was eliminated, the minor part makes no scene to be posted.
I said nothing about Petter that is untrue, because some of the children whose work he marked incorrect or marked them wrong, when they did them correctly are yet alive, and can substantiate the truth, and beside we do not know he even had secondary, nor a college education.
So, why should someone like that head the ministry of Education. Just because they claimed he taught school is not a qualification to teach, because it is our experience, that there was a time, when someone finished what we term “Standard Seven” now termed grade seven, were given a School Leaving Certificate from Elementry School, which they presented to gain employment as teachers, and even employed in the civil service. The G. C. E., (general certificate of was not yet in existence.)
To my American associates who read me on DNO. Note: The G. C. E., is equivalent to…
Note: The G. C. E., is equivalent to the American G. E. D. one obtains on graduating Secondary School.
More begging, more handouts, more bribery, more corruption, and a population simply expecting to be given things rather than having to work for or earn them. This is modern Dominica. Well done.
It’s completely ridiculous and every rational-thinking person in the world sees this shameful charade for exactly what it is.
tThe government should have put computer labs in all the schools for present and future students use, and not have individual distribitions . Because that would have been a better investment than the political promise he tried to keep. tis isn’t a government distribution, its a labor party distribution Wake up Dummies.
This prime minister have you guys right where he wants you you all. His whole idea is not teaching you guys to fish but give you a fish. First of all why should he still has concerns about what kids do with there tablets or not,when you give something to someone they has the full right to do what they feels like .secondly it’s not to very much a tablet can do when comes to home works maybe look up something on google or take a picture ?am pretty sure most kids will be unable to use them because of Internet at home. This government should open up library’s and put desktop where kids could go do homework and do research even library’s at school .Are you serious mr prime minister you dealing Dominican like they easy to buy they are very cheap. That’s seems like communisim. Lord pray for them.
To the Dominica labour party thank u for keeping your promise it took time but after all it has been successful thank you
So you admit it is a political party exercise and not the government.
I thought it was supposed to be 7500.. What happened to the other 2500?
One billion dollars in debt before the damage caused by two tropical storms, and there is still money for electronic toys for schoolchildren? Either there is a lot more money in Dominica than they are telling us, or someone needs to re-prioritize.
that is just my point…but these A-holes didn’t get it obviously!
Yet, if they’d said they were cancelling the tablet programme because of Erika then you’d be calling them out for being liars. There’s no point trying to please people who are determined to be dissatisfied.
REALLY! Election promise kept; whom did they promise to give Tablets? wasn’t every school child slated to receive a Tablet? Come on guys for once speak the truth; or am i the only one who got it wrong.
Does the tablet comes with WIFI connection? or else it wont worth a thing to those who do not have any form of cable connection at home. its not only to use at school… what about homework and research at home? are they planning on connecting cables for the children too. should be a complete gesture.
what a tablet ,and where did it come from ,
can you believe ,the tablets came wednesday and erica came thursday ?
Did the tablets really bring erica? It seems that ,every \thing in life is really a give and take..
Education Minister, Petter Saint Jean, should responded to constructive criticisms and not go about bashing. Have we forgotten or is all criticism negative. Blogger STEVE FORESTER had this to say: “Will the tablets replace textbooks? Are there useful scientific simulations that come installed on them? Can be used as clickers for classroom interactivity? Will they enable distance learning so that school can continue even if we face another major natural disaster?” he received 57 thumbs up and 7 thumbs down.. is this being negative Hon. Minister?
Petter and Darroux,you guys have taken this country to a begging state,they are handouts fools,all this money could have been put in the health system,Erika has not thought you guys any lesson,but more is to come my friends.
so…are all students entering secondary school going to receive one? If it is important in this day and age – that must mean that the new students entering will need. thus; is the government going to issue tablets every year to first former’s?
Would it not have been better if all the schools were, equipped with computer labs to ensure students have supervised access to the internet?
I am not sure what the logic is – I know it was a poorly planned political gimmick – but My God there has been enough time to think it through and the DLP members should have jumped off their horse – take their tablet promise back and instead equip all schools with computers – that would provide for this and future students.
Just wait, you gonna hear lots more from the NEGATIVE squad of the UWP.
Really?????….”providing tablets for you, because it is a necessary learning teaching tool in this day and age…..this is about ensuring that the Dominican children have the requisite tools to ensure that they access quality education and that they can build for themselves a future.” Train the >60% of untrained teachers we have in the education system them we can start talking about quality education. Hardware without the requisite software or infrastructure (internet connection, bandwidth etc) & training in how to use them effecetively for the purposes of teaching & learning makes these tools useless.
will students who do not have or cannot afford access to internet for educational purposes be given assistance?
The monies that people donated to the country wasn’t to buy tablets.
It’s not about handouts? What is it about then? It is about election bribes…, pure and simple!!
to me i cant see the logic in this. so what about the new students who will be entering secondary school are they going to be given tablets also this most be a recurring thing if it is really meant to up lift our students learning capability because you cant have some students with tablets and some without. just my 2cents
I have come to conclusion that with the opposition in Dominica that you cannot please all of the people all of the time, you’re dammed if you do and your dammed if you don’t. I believe this gross display of dishonesty and ignorance is particular to the character of a sizeable part of the Dominican population.
Hmph….
I can see those tablets going the way of the textbook scheme. DESTROYED. Once Dominicans are given stuff for free they will never value it. And I’m talking about Labourites, UWPites, Pappyites…all of them.
As far as I see it, this government just wasted the State’s resources.
No Petter it is about election promises and politics……Petter you should keep quiet an let Skerrit talk about this.
parents look out. your children are now exposed to any and everything. Children please use this wisely.
The only people complaining about tablets are the ones not getting any! Saint Jean should not waste his time responding to ignorance… you cannot argue with ignorance, if the person or people had ‘understanding’ they would not have made such statements in the first place, so they will not understand anything you have to say.
wat a complete joke!!! lies! lies!! and more lies. tablets were promised since Adam and Eve ate the apple. STUPES!!!!!!
I personally think that now is not the time to distribute any type of tablet..whether it is an electronic tablet or a coconut one.
You all do not need to prove anything to anyone!
Prioritize!!!!!
GARCON,,, DOH PUT OUR COCONUT TABLET IN AL U ELECTRONIC TABLET BISSNESS. long before there was electronic tablet we had our coconut tablet AND IT WILL KEEP SURVIVING LONG AFTER ELECTRONIC TABLET GET DAMAGED.
It is the beginning of a school year. What better time do you suggest to give the kids tablets? I’ll never understand Duminicans
And I guess when u refer to Duminicans that you are referring to yourself!