KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — A total of 9,100 students in 10 primary schools across the island are to benefit from the Digital Mobile Classroom project.

The initiative, which will also impact 30 teachers and administrators, enhancing their skills and competencies, aims to improve the quality of education through the provision of information and communications technologies (ICT) and promoting the digital learning of children in vulnerable communities.

It is being implemented by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information through partnership with the Organization of American States/Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (OAS/CITEL).

Speaking at the opening of a training seminar at the Courtyard Marriott in New Kingston yesterday, Minister of State in the Education Ministry, Floyd Green, said the initiative will assist in bridging the digital divide and transforming the education sector.

“We are trying to put the technology in the hands of the students and the teachers. This is what we need to close that digital divide to ensure that, at the fingertips, especially in rural communities, that we will have the technology to bring the curriculum alive and that our children will now become engaged in a different sort of way that will really give us a better outcome,” he said.

He described the programme, which utilises an offline platform, as a “game changer” as it will enable students and teachers without Internet connectivity to gain access.

Green said the Government is committed to retooling the education system to ensure that the needs of the students are catered to at all levels.

 “That is why in 2016, we rolled out our new standards curriculum, which, in essence, puts the child at the centre of our learning model and recognises that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to education. Different children will learn differently, and you have to cater to those different needs if you want to have an effective educational system,” he said.

He pointed out that almost all jobs are linked to technology and, therefore, “we have to ensure that our children are au fait with the technology”.

“The most basic job is being replaced by a technology solution, so who is important is the man that can programme that machine. That’s the job of right now,” he said.

The three-day Digital Classroom Project training seminar is being hosted by the ministry in collaboration with OAS/CITEL).

The sessions are being conducted by a team of experts from ProFuturo Foundation.