ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC) — The Grenada government says it has learnt from the mistakes made by other Caribbean countries in the implementation of laptops and tablet to students.

Education Minister Simon Stiell told the Senate during the debate on the EC$1.1 billion (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) 2018 national budget that the Keith Mitchell government has been reviewing the

“Tablet for all initiative” that has been the subjection of opposition inspired criticism.

But Stiell told legislators that Grenada will not jump into the implementation of the programme, without first doing significant ground work.

“St Vincent (and the Grenadines) saw the errors of their ways, Trinidad (and Tobago) did, when they rushed out, provided everybody with a tablet then realised that without the correct training, without the correct environment it was just a waste of resource and had to recall,” said the Education Minister.

“There is a programme, EC$600,000 has been allocated to it in 2018 to upgrade and ensure that as many of our schools as possible have full broadband access etc, to be able to access those technologies,” he added.

He said in addition, over 100 teachers are being trained in information, communication and technology (ICT) to assist in the smooth transition of the program in schools.

“It’s no good swamping everybody with tablets and our teachers cannot teach or students cannot learn,”  Stiell said, adding “ Mr President, in 2018 more efforts to ensure that more teachers are developing and delivering lessons with heavy emphasis on the use of ICT tools will be a main focus”.