Imbert: Technology upgrade in education

Minister of Finance Colm Imbert said the government has embarked on a systematic upgrade and enhancement of all the information and communications technology (ICT) systems in the education sector.

Imbert was making the budget presentation for the fiscal year 2021 in the Red House.

He said although TT has already begun the transition to “an innovative and digital economy,” considering the demands of the covid19 pandemic, education stakeholders still encountered difficulties.

“This was due to a variety of circumstances,” he said, “including insufficient provision of necessary equipment, lack of training of teachers in the field of information and technology, limited access to the internet in the learning process and ineffective mechanisms for transmitting information.

"We are currently addressing deficiencies.”

He said the government will improve ICT initiatives throughout schools at all levels.

“We have established an overarching ICT policy, we have expanded infrastructure to support ICT in schools, inclusive of the provision of laptops and other technology devices, and we are restructuring the curriculum for ICT integration as well as training teachers.”

He said the reopening of schools in September revealed the thousands of students who do not have access to electronic devices and connectivity to take part in the new virtual environment.