Secondary schools on island will soon be presented with tablets as promised by Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit during the 2014 general election campaign. However, for now, the “proper mechanism” is being discussed to have them delivered.
“Both the staff of the Ministry of Information Technology and the Ministry of Education, they have begun discussions so as to put the structure mechanism in place for the delivery of the tablets,” Minister for Information, Science, Telecommunication and Technology, Kelver Darroux, said.
He said this is being done to ensure “the smooth delivery” of the promised devices.
Skerrit told supporters of The Dominica Labour Party (DLP) during its manifesto launch on November 13 at Trafalgar, that the government of Venezuela has made a commitment to provide the DLP with 7,500 tablets for the new school year.
According to him, the tablets will be distributed to all secondary and college students on island.
The announcement has been criticized as nothing more than an empty campaign promise.
But Darroux said, “this is a commitment that the government has made and we will keep this promise.”
He did not give an exact time frame as to when the tablets will be delivered.
Darroux also pointed out that the government has a plan in place to ensure that there is broadband access in all secondary schools on the island.
He said the government has already established broadband access at the Dominica State College (DSC) and continues to invest heavily to ensure that all secondary schools, “will have access that will allow for the better usage of the tablets when they have been delivered…”
Meanwhile, he said, legislation will be put in place to guide the proper use of information technology.
“One of the areas we will also be looking at, down the line, as the government moves forward is to ensure that we continue to look at the legislation to guide the proper use of information technology in this country, as well as to safeguard our citizens whom may be particularly vulnerable to the individuals who may try to use the technology to destroy or to invade people’s privacy,” Darroux explained. “This is one of the key areas that we have to look at as the government to ensure that we have the proper legislation in place.”
“Not only it can be informatively used as a learning tool, but what we have found out is that it can also be destructive. ….and we continue to encourage particularly our students and our young people to use information technology as a learning tool and a tool to advance themselves and to avoid all destructive use of technology,” Darroux said.
According to Darroux, government remains committed to the task and “will continue to work with all sectors to ensure that not only our students and schools benefit, but Dominica on a whole because Information Technology has to play a very pivotal role in ensuring that our country can move forward.”
Dominica News Online (DNO) has learnt that the tablets are already on island.
According to DNO, the Skeritt led Administration will keep its election promise to deliver 7500 tablets. A very powerful radio personality reported, Bitcoin will be presented to Dominicans by the Government, during a big bash scheduled for March. He defined Bitcoin as a virtual currency. Anyone who gets involved or has to transact in Bitcoin will have to do so through the use of the internet or fax. It is alleged, the 7500 tables will not only to be used for educational purposes, but also Bitcoin transactions. If these allegations are true, it will be interesting to see what will be the position of Tonge, not only as an honest young business man turned politician, but as owner or part owner of a financial lending business.
Skerrit said every child will receive a tablet in the month of January 2015, during his campaign on the podium at a meeting in the Kalinago Territory.
Hon. Darroux must tell Dominicans the real truth about the 7500 free tablets. It is alleged the free tablets are connected to Bitcoin. Bitcoin is considered to be a virtual currency and not actual money. Most of the transactions of Bitcoin will be made online. You get my drift, the free tablets and Bitcion are one family.
How about the over 60’s? Can they get free tablets too please, you know the little blue one. It will put new lead in their pencil to vote for P.M. again.
Alot of things can go wrong with a tablet. I know from first hand experience. Also that isn’t true. Accredited books and papers and articles require you to either purchase them or have an Athens password which allows students from a particular institution to get access to them. Having a state library does not mean that only paper back books will be available. Having a state library also brings in monopoly when you have keen students from the state college trying to access a certain journal or research paper that is not viewable online. A state library can help you access those with a simple request. In addition, its currently exam period I don’t know about anyone else but I love being in a studious environment where everyone else is studying over my comfortable home. Wikipedia is not assign accredited source of information as anyone can add and edit information. Reference wikkipedia at uni and you will get a massive F.
While Tablets are being given free, the few Cabalists, those in “Power”, will continue, more than before, to acquire massive wealth in quick time, again through dubious, questionable means. Cont
Those “freenesses” are bringing worriness because the economy is in shambles. Agriculture and the other productive sectors have been neglected. The Begging mentality institutionalized. Go upstairs Financial Centre, just so, for $$$$$$$. Be subservient, loyal, a slave to he who takes from the people’s Treasury to appear to give. The same control all over. Massa is kind to his slaves. Kalinago were the 1st. to get trinkets, gifts by colonisers. Today Kalinago are the poorest in the land they discovered.
The struggles of our forefathers for freedom, equality, dignity, hard-work are being deliberately misunderstood. Our forefathers were not beggars, but toiled the land, feeding families, earning, sending their children to school, colleges, universities, building…
http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/saint-lucia-receives-first-shipment-of-laptops-for-it-in-education-initiative/
St Lucia got theirs from ALBA. Is ours coming from The Dominica Labour Party as promised during the election? By the Government of Dominica or From the Venezuelan Education drive program – which most ALBA members are benefiting from – the SAME 7000!!!
BLAH,BLAH,BLAH!!!!!!!!!
O MY, where have they been keeping them. They are soooo OLD.
so long de pm cannot give those children the tablet GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No criticism; simply asking a few questions. Each child will receive a tablet. Will they be self-owned, one per child, to take home or will they be used only during school?
More technology; more problems and big ones. More cost of also maintenance and more theft. I hope they are not stolen.
Where will they be kept at the end of the school day? If at school, the authorities will have to ensure that they are not stolen by keeping them in a secure, locked filing cabinet or vault..
Please my people, ask yourself, why would tablets be beneficial for students? Ultimately, the goal is to increase student achievement (or, at least it should be). If we do not receive clear benchmarks/goals for student progress in the coming year, how will we assess the effectiveness of this or any other school-based initiative?
These tablets are gifts from Venezuela. What happens when they break? next year when new students arrive in college and the upper grades? How do we control theft and use of nefarious purposes? This feels very gimmicky, and while i think tablets should be available to all, lets be clear about the purpose and not fool ourselves about its impact on learning.
GIS – The Government of Saint Lucia has received the first in a shipment of 7000 computers from the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela through the Canaima Educational Project. The Canaima Educational Project began in Venezuela in 2009, by providing laptops to students for use at school. In 2010 the initiative was tweaked to provide the young students each with a computer that they could take home, in an effort to allow the entire family access to Information Technology. The project expanded to Saint Lucia after the government requested the computers through Saint Lucia’s Ambassador to ALBA and PetroCaribe, Ambassador Vincent Eustace Vitalis, as part of an initiative to introduce Information Technology to education through schools. On Dec. 20, the first 1000 Canaimas laptops arrived at the Hewanorra International Airport. The laptops were received by Chief Education Officer Marcus Edward, and Saint Lucia’s Ambassador to ALBA and PetroCaribe, Eustace Vitalis…
that is a news clip. in st lucia from their GIS since 2010, and now in 2015 they bring those out dated cheapo’s… OH DEAR.
buut I hear the tablets are gonna be kept at the schools .. students will not be able to go home with them so in that case I believe that they will be alternated
People be happy that skerrit is offering the high school students tablets for FREE. Some of us just like to look for petty little things and just complain about it. Be thankful that children are getting tablets. Some children haven’t got or cannot afford not a phone a computer nothing and they are getting tablets for free. In the past skerrit had promise us things like the stadium and did it happen? yes, yes it did. Skerrit promised us tablets and broadband in the school and he will make it happen.
Wow, and we are not even ashamed to mention that broadband is still not established in secondary schools in Dominica? In 2015? Afterall man.
Do you have one at your home?
I personally think that our primary schools at the grade 4 5 6 should be allowed to have tablets and I personally think that PM skerrit did not think this through enough because I hope he will to be able to provide tablets for all our new students that about to enter high school
Once again, the cart before the horse. Skeritt promised 7500 tablets to young people. Darroux was proud to advertise the tablets in order to catch as many votes as possible. Election is over, no tablets available in the schools yet, no broadband are set up at some of the schools. According to the picture of Darroux shown on DNO, it appears the tables have been in Dominica a long time ago. I would not be surprised, within the next three months, tables will be delivered to the school to convince the people that an election is promise is kept, but , no broadband will be available in all the schools for another year.
How much of these promises could he implement all at once? You should comprehend that they all cannot be delivered at the same time. He is working on giving them the amount he promised. Give him a chance.
I am not believing nothing that comes from the mouth of politicians.
1. I want to hear it from the mouth of Venezuela that they are the ones donating the tablets.
2. Dominicans did not ask Skerrit for tablets, mostly every child in my niece class in 2nd form already have their own tablets including my niece. Dominicans asked for jobs.
The problem with technology, it cannot teach them to read, spell and write.
Hope they all can read, spell and write properly.
Ignoramus, they have software incorporating spell-check. You can even chose between U.S. English and U.K. English (…perhaps even Canadian English!?).
that is why titiwi spell choose as chose
O PLZ TECHNOOLGY can do al of dat u sound jealous
Just as a carpenter has or should provide his own hammer for a job; a tablet for some of our students in this age of technology will help them do better research for their education and preparation for their future. Very good initiative from the PM and Government.
Now since your niece already has one, and that is very good that her family could provide one for her; I hope she declines one or you encourage her not to accept one from the government so another student who does not have one or would have been unable to get one from a relative can also get her own.
A PM and Government who cares for our students and their future. When it is good say so. It is good.
It was not so long ago we heard chants that “we cannot eat concrete” Yesterday we heard people saying indirectly that we want concrete because we cannot eat.
Our Government has a vision. We should try to see, listen and learn.
Have we done a tally of the number of high school students that we have on island? How do you qualify if there are more students than tablets? Is this a one time catch a vote promise or a well thought through plan to improve info tech education at schools? Lets see this play out in this upside/down, back to front government
But , who said the students have to pay for the tablets ? I read the news ^ and i didn’t see anything saying “the government will be charging students a fee in order to receive their tablet” . So we have to pay or nah ?
There are Tablets, Lap Tops, Desk Tops…..If the ‘Minister’ does not know the difference from one device to another he has no business holding that office!!! This whole enterprise is actually part of Bit Drop/ Bit Coin …….DOMINICANS WAKE UP!!! Stop having the Wool pull over your eyes. How long are you going to let this Regime mislead you? Tricking you into thinking this is an Educational undertaking, when all along ,they’ve got an ulterior motive. Dominicans you are smarter than that. Stop being Spoon Fed and do your due diligence. Research the facts and question everything this Administration presents and demand answers.
http://www.stlucianewsonline.com/saint-lucia-receives-first-shipment-of-laptops-for-it-in-education-initiative/
I have a question. Do all schools in Dominica (public schools) have computer labs with enough computers and proper staff to teach IT ? I think not. Maybe it would be better if we equip our schools with the tools necessary to educate our children then later down the road when we have this covered we will consider giving each child a tablet. Every child can have a laptop or a tablet playing candy crush or doing who knows what. But do they know at least the basics of how these things work ? Teach them basic coding in some programing language (python, java, c, c++), Let them understand how computer memory works, Help them to understand the terminology (what is a byte) so that the can at least know what the talking about. Then who knows the next biggest thing might just be developed by a 13 year old Dominican in his/ her parents basement. Just my opinion
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But that raises the question of security, what mechanism is there to protect the school children against cyber bulling both at home and at school?
What type security defence is in place to protect the kids against violence and photographic content being distributed on line daily?
What procedures have been put in place to block certain websites from being accessed?
App like facebook, what’s app and Imessage which criminal’s uses daily all runs on secure encrypted platform and the only way to stops these apps and protect our kids against them would be to band them from the country and I cannot see the government doing that.
A laptop provides more or less the same use the tablet does in terms of the accessing internet.
The ability to run world processing application like Microsoft word, excel PowerPoint ect , skills that is need in all jobs these days.
The minister of education and people around him does not seem to know much about technology as they are eluding.
Being a fully trained engineer with over 15 years experience in mobile and satellite communication technology as well as security administrator, web developer and app builder for android and Iphone I think am more than qualify to share on this matter.
Tablet VS Laptop.
A table lacks the storage space for saving and gathering of information which in my opinion since it is a school tablet that should be a pre-requisite for having a tablet.
A tablet is nothing more than an enlarge smart phone northing more nothing less.
The uses of the table are restricted to surfing the internet and running a few basic app. However If this is intention of the government, for your kids to spend more time on facebook and other social media sites then that is absolutely fine.
Some of our people so are ungrateful and negative!! It’s really disgusting. Every country has to start somewhere, just be thankful and see it as a good starting place. Can’t we just be positive for once and see the good side of things. Damn!!
I agree and disagree. While the internet may hold vast amounts of knowledge that no one library can hold, it also holds many many many distractions that cannot be found in a so called “brick and mortar” library. While the internet may hold Facebook, Instagram, twitter and the like which distract users, a library is all books…..no other distractions. A tablet in the hands of every student is calling for disaster. Teachers already have enough to deal with as it is….far less for having to deal with tablets in the hands of all students. Unless these tablets come with software specially crafted for education and with strict parental control rules in place they will do more bad than good. It can be done if they find the right people to do it. I know the Android OS inside out so I know it can be done.
Take your laptop and find out y your mother is so fat.
I notice Dominican woman are just fat. So many fat
Woman
Working around in dominica, I just can’t understand
What is going on in dominica.
So maybe just maybe your child can do some research
On THRER parents, OR even your friends in your class is so
Fat. Just look around u and u will see what am talking about.
Dominican woman just getting fatter and fatter. Use your
DLP LAPTOP AND PLEASE TEL ME Y.
I try to put reason and common sense to anything. First of all let’s assume we get a cheap tablet at $US 125. That would be approximately $ec2.5 million for first 7500. We all know that regulations and laws are lacking in Dominica as it relates to online abuse and violations. Passing such laws in parliament cannot be rushed especially since it is going to involve children. Police here are not equipped to deal with enforcing and prosecuting cyber crimes. Laws don’t exist.
Not every kid has interne at home, so some kids will loose out. Are these equipment going to remain in the school or with the kids? This may mean each year we will be going to Venezuela to fund tablets for incoming students plus replacements. I could go on….
Again the PM belched out tablets during campaign but did not realize people are now paying attention. Now, he is struggling to figure out how he is going to deliver. No plans..
What about for primary school children, at least grade 5 and 6 who are preparing for common entrance? Will they get too? And what about teachers? will teachers get tablets or computers for use in the classroom?
I cant understand DNO and journalism nowadays. the minister did not say that the tablets are here, but at the end of the article DNO is reporting that they understand that the tablets are here! Whom do they understand that from, the minister, a source, an angel who?
because is awalu dat givin de man money
The tablets are needed for the Bitcoin drop on March 14 2015 at 9.26 am… The tablets did not come from Venezuela…
Very good observation Rebecca. I had not thought of that myself but of course, you are spot on.
The Government and PM don’t think things thru before making decisions what about those children in the lower schools information technology starts with them . Mr. Darroux let me enlighten you information technology is the way to go but it’s not only when it reaches Secondary School or Dominica State College level that it’s important.
the older ones are better able to control information technology and use it more often than the younger students…..and if you watched your news, then you would have heard minister for education petter st jean say that the government is embarking on a technology revolution,a and this is the first phase of it and the primary school students would receive theirs in the second phase of the project……..educate urself
how can venezuela even afford to be giving us 7500 tablets, which i assume will cost at least 200 USD a unit when dey people starving and cant even get food and toilet paper????
You are right, Venezuela can not afford to give us thousands of tablets when their own people can not find food on the shelves in their shops. Our government will buy those tablets and deduct the cost from the bill we owe Venezuela for fuel.
lol, that would be brutal
The key words the new school year…………. if i’m not mistaken a school year starts in September and not January so pls Dominican stop the foolishness
And ensure that all schools have broadband internet. Well is now everybody will be “Up on Video”….I don’t wish to be in the shoes of school administrators and teachers at this time. They have enough problems already as it is.
you are certainly right, IS NOW WE ARE GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL. Election ca faire mon faire baguy movay. If the pm had promise the tablet for the schools, I can understand because it would be used in the right form and fashion. One would ask ” when they have homework to do now and their research to do “the answer for that would be hire a special after class teacher for every school where the tablets are being distributed, to monitor the kids to see what they are doing. Hey that is my view and opinion.
people if you all had listened to mr st jean on channel 5 news then you would have known that security mechanisms will be put in place through the internet to observe students research just as it is with the state college wifi……you cant do what you want……with state college wifi, you cant use downloading websites, the wifi security has blocked all illicit websites…………with these schoolsthe will restrict access to social media using the schools website ….. this is going on in many other countris round the globe so why cant it happen in dominica? why should we remain behind
The next school year begins in September 2015. They should be ready for start of School in September 2015.
That is the third promise!¬ KairiFm reported Dec. 16 Darroux saying he is to keep his promise to deliver over 7,000 tablets to every secondary and tertiary school student in Dominica. Venezuela has not got the money to send them to us so I suspect they do their usual trick, buy them elsewhere (probably China) and offset that against what we owe them for fuel. Wonder who will get the contract & commission for that? By the way, where is the P.M.? Should’t he have spoken since it was he who made that promise in the first place?
i want my tablet before i leave school my parent vote for all you so make sure i get mine before i leave school
That is a point to consider. What happens to these tablets when the students leave school?
And what happens to new students joining school, will they automatically get a tablet too?
And suppose a student is persuaded to sell his/her tablet and claim they lost it or it was stolen?
These are all pertinent questions. Its difficult to answer the first two. However, with regards to the last question, the onus rest on each individual to be responsible and accountable. In some cases theft may be unavoidable and that would be unfortunate for that child because I don’t believe that the government is responsible to replace it. However if a child decides to sell one, I do believe that they are doing themselves an injustice because the cash which is received for that laptop will be short lived, however the educational benefits which he/she could have derived from it is immeasurable.
I agree with this student. What about students who are already in 5th form anleaving school in June this year.
Sorry to tell you, but I guess your parents have been fooled. On the other hand your parents are not wise people to sell their vote for a cheap tablet. OMG Skerrit knows exactly how the majority of Dominicans ‘tick’. What a shallow society.
Did you actually carefully read what the person said or were you too anxious to post something negative? The student never said that the parents voted because they were swayed by the promise of computers. You said that! The student simply stated that his/her parents voted for this government and therefore he/she feels that a computer is deserved. That is the student’s personal opnion which was stated in the post. Please do not bend it to suit your own purposes.
Great news! Keep up the great work.
We can never be satisfied at least say thank you to God, most children do not even have a computer home to make home work be grateful. We to like to complain.
Say thank you to God for an on going promise we are not sure to see become a reality?
7,500 tablets? wow i thought it had more school children than that in Dominica. Skerro did say all school children would receive a tablet.
South please try to think. Just imagine voting for a party to run a country for five years just because they promise you a tablet. How politically mature are you?
How many secondary students are there? 7500? think!
They would prefer the coconut tablet…to eat. can they eat that tablet? what benefit will it be? employment is the key.
And why is me that paying for it? Government never promised, Skerrit made a promise to labourites, what happen the campaign funds finish? Allu doh tired fool people?
I want to know how am I financially responsible for Skerrit catch a vote promises.
if you actually read you would have seen that the tablets were given by the government of venezuela to the dominican government …… not ur tax money that paying for it .gezzzzz man
This time my curiosity has gotten the better of me. Tell me if you can, what this government has to do to get the approval of the likes of you and others, because when the don’t do you are cussing them. When they do, you are also cussing them because you wish that they hadn’t done so that you could use it against them to cuss them some more. Phew!!! I am daily becoming aware of the immaturity which exist in this country and the political blinders which too many of us are wearing. We all need to move away from this climate of negativity which we seem to be shrouded in.
No, the likes of you need to move away from the ‘red clinic mentality’ and open your eyes wide and realise what this wicked government is doing to Dominica. Skerrit could sell the entire country to China and you would still sing his praises.
Tablets before a state library! YAAAAAASSSSSS!
If there is internet available, you can have access to a wealth of scholarly
resources. Brick and mortar libraries are becoming less focused on paperback books and more on technology and access to online resources. Good luck in your studies.
Right…because this is being launched with a “library research” course. Lots of wikipedia citations is come 2015-2016 school year.
Pssshh the majority of us are too lazy to go to the library why go to a library when u can download any book for free online