Presently 3,189 secondary school students from across the island are equipped with a tablet, courtesy of the government of Dominica through its “One Tablet Per Child Program’, Education Minister Petter Saint Jean has announced.
The Dominica Grammar School (DGS) is the latest learning institution to have benefited from that program, which was launched at the Pierre Charles Secondary School (PCSS) on September 30th.
A handing over ceremony was held at the school on Monday 12th October.
“Allow me to inform and advise that as of 1:00 0’clock this afternoon a total of 3,189 secondary school students around Dominica will have received their tablets, and we will continue throughout next week to ensure that every secondary school student and every student of the Dominica State College, by the end of next week will have received the tablets that we promised because we believe that it is an important tool to ensure that you succeed,” he said.
According to him more than 700 students of the DGS received tablets on Monday.
“The government of Dominica has invested thousands of dollars in procuring these tablets that today we will present to the more than 700 students of the Dominica Grammar School,” he said.
He pointed out that parents have a role to play in the education of their children.
“I want you parents to take this with a level of seriousness, recognizing that the school cannot do it alone, we need your support at home, we need your supervision at home, we need the community to come on board and ensure that our students succeed and achieve their outmost,” Saint Jean stated.
Meantime; Minister for Information, Science, Telecommunication and Technology, Kelver Darroux by the end of next week every secondary school student on the island will receive a tablet. He said on Wednesday the devices will be distributed to students of the Goodwill Secondary School, on Thursday to those of the North East Comprehensive, on Friday to students of the Wesley High School and the Orion Academy.
“From there we will be looking at students at the Dominica State College, so we are well on our way to ensuring that every high school and every student of the Dominica State College will have in his or her possession their tablets,” he stated.
Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Melena Fontaine said the ‘One Tablet Per Child Program’ is meant to enhance the cause of education.
She thanked the parents present at the ceremony, which she believes is for a very important cause.
“You must be part of it from the beginning because you have a responsibility to ensure that the tablet is going to be used for what it is meant to do,” Fontaine encouraged. “We are asking you to learn along with your child as they use this instructional tool to prepare for their future. We are asking you to monitor your child’s appropriate internet use and adherence to internet guidelines when using the tablet.”
Fontaine further advises parents to ensure that children adhere to guidelines established in the home and at school, “and also ensure that only your child will use the tablet for school related purposes, not an uncle, not an aunt, not a friend…”
Furthermore she explained, “Because at this point in time when we have completed distribution every child who is going to secondary school will have their own tablet with their serial number; if any child steals a tablet from another one we will know.”
The ‘One Tablet Per Child Program’ was promised during the election campaign in 2014, and is being provided to students in Dominica following an agreement between the Government and Venezuela.
I saw the new tablets. One of the village children was showing me the “plenty games” that she has already downloaded onto hers.
I applaud the tablet initiative however more needs to be done in creating jobs when the students leave school.
how about sma and chs
Short sighted.
DNO, please ask relevant officials what is the level of training educators have received to make the most of this initiative. Without it, just dropping tablets onto students will have no positive effect. It’s an important part of this ongoing story to know whether there’s an actual curricular plan here, and if so what it specifically is. Please bring us the details!
Thank you Mr. Saint Jean and that is Convent High School, St. Mary’s Academy and St. Martin’s Secondary School students business if they don’t get tablets. Their parents will buy them coconut cheese. I’m sure these Catholic schools can wait another school year while all your government schools get theirs.
Yes, why are all the best (Catholic) schools on the island not been given theirs yet?
Aa but wait awhile aren’t we part of Secondary Schools?
And just to add to my previous comment even though we are catholic schools we still follow the Ministry of Education book list and rules. Hahaha Loll very funny about the coconut cheese. Trying to be funny?
The Convent High School is the only secondary school who has taken their own inititative to fully incorporate ICT into their school administration. They have already, without instruction from the Ministry, developed their own Bring Your Own Device Policy, which is available for parents to peruse on their web page.For over four years students of CHS have been using their Google drive accounts to receive notes, assignments and homework from teachers and students can upload their homework on their google address. Instead of praising the school for being at the forefront of the ICT world, you say forget about them? I say ALL schools can take a leaf from their proactiveness and their quest to make all correspondence paperless. Even the dear Minister Hon. Kelver Darroux s daughter attends the CHS! The average percentage pass for Math islandwide is not even 50% and CHS is at over 90%. The Catholic schools have always produced exemplary students and I find your comment ignorant & distasteful
This comment has a few white lies though. I graduated last year and it was in that year that the google drive accounts were set up. Not four years. The schools are not government schools, get over it. Yes there is a perfect system in place that would fall well under the use of the tablets. But just because the school has a high pass rate, that does not give them a right to the tablets. You are making it seem like a reward, which it is not. The tablets are to help the other schools be as well off as Convent.
Don’t be salty and entitled
Catholic School In Portsmouth Got theirs, what’s exactly your point?
They can afford it the pope making tours
I find the comment of Mercy very disrespectful the tablets should be fairly shared to all schools even though it government school or catholic school.BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT REPRESENT THE ENTIRE NATION