BASSETERRE, St Kitts (SKNIS) — Minister of Education Nigel Carty said breakthrough is imminent as the St Kitts and Nevis government seeks to put the finishing touches on a project that sets the stage to make information and communication technology (ICT) a cornerstone of the national economy.
The now widely anticipated I-Literacy One-to-One Laptop Project will eventually see each high school student and teacher in the Federation outfitted technologically with a personal laptop.
Carty revealed that the government — having had a passion to see technology mainstreamed into the lives, learning experiences and daily activities of students — first planned to place computer labs in each school in the Federation. This particular project having had a fair amount of success was upgraded to meet the increasing demands of globalised world.
The minister said the government never lost its resolve but instead sought to be proactive in making the dream a reality.
He said although the project now lies mainly in the remit of the IT Department, the Ministry of Education has a critical role in helping to build the ICT platform in St Kitts and Nevis, given its natural oversight of youth’s mental development.
Carty emphasised, however, that it would be the students’ own creativity and natural drive to explore and succeed that would lead them to make inroads into and leave an indelible mark on the ICT sector.
Carty referred to individuals such as Microsoft’s creator Bill Gates, who did not make his fortune in a structured classroom setting, but instead pursued his dreams by using his creativity.
In addressing the gathering at Friday’s press conference to mark Microsoft’s contribution to the project, Carty said the role of education was to “train, provide access to explore the world of connectivity and watch creativity and ingenuity take over.”
