As the Ministry of Education continues to embark on a journey to improve the delivery of education in Guyana, a smart classroom was commissioned on Thursday last at the Leonora Secondary School in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).
The smart classroom that was commissioned last week
The facility is the first smart classroom to be commissioned in the region, and was commissioned by Education Minister, Priya Manickchand.
The Minister, without a doubt, was elated that the first smart classroom was commissioned in Region Three.
She noted, however, that soon, additional smart classrooms will be installed at other identified schools in the region such as the West Demerara Secondary School, the Parika-Salem Secondary School and Leguan Secondary School.
The Minister said that the education sector must continue to cater to the needs of the various generations of students. Minister Manickchand explained that such a facility is important in this era where technology is becoming more advanced.
She stated that in cases where some schools do not have a specialist teacher in a particular subject area, a teacher from the Leonora Secondary School can assist those students by conducting lessons virtually without having to travel to the other school that needs his or her tutelage.
A teach demonstrates how to use the Smart board
The Minister added that teachers will be trained to use the facility, and there have been many initiatives to incorporate Information Technology (IT) into the classroom but not many of those projects were taken seriously to put the education sector in a position to deliver education online when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Teachers who would have stepped up to the challenge during the pandemic were commended by the Minister.
Nevertheless, Regional Chairman of Region Three, Ishan Ayube said that he is also happy that the education sector is progressing.
He said that the teachers and students need to grasp the opportunity and utilise the facility to its fullest while adding that the Regional Democratic Council will continue to work assiduously to ensure programmes and policies are being executed in the region in an accountable manner.
Also, Regional Education Officer of Region Three, Devindra Persaud said that the smart classroom has come at a time when the region needs such a facility. He assured those in attendance that the classroom will be taken care of and used for its intended purpose.
Following the ceremonial commissioning, attendees were treated to a demonstration as to how the smart classroom will work.
Just last week, the Ministry of Education commissioned smart classrooms at the Brickdam Secondary School and the East Ruimveldt Secondary School. All classrooms will have an interactive board, a television that allows teachers and students to connect remotely, and motion and voice-activated cameras complete with a face recognition feature.
