Hundreds of Students to Benefit from a New Project Aimed at Improving Access to E-learning on Island
Over 500 students will benefit from a new ICT infrastructure project which seeks to improve Access to E-learning in Montserrat.
The Ministry of Education in a press release on Tuesday reveal that the project, has entered its final stage of development after attaining initial concept approval.
The project, with a current proposal request value of EUR 240,000, is being developed with technical assistance through the 11th European Development Fund’s Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity Programme for Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (RESEMBID).
The project aims to create greater equity in access to e-learning among local students, while reducing disruptions to the territory’s education system in the wake of recurrent and extreme natural events such as hurricanes, and the now conceivable global pandemic.
The new system, which will provide laptops for students and teachers, upgraded facilities for e-testing, subsidized mobile hotspots for vulnerable youth, and training for teachers, is expected to deliver on the Government’s Agenda Item on improved educational outcomes and the National ICT Policy objectives.
Upon approval of the final project design, the project is expected to benefit more than 500 students and teachers across Montserrat.
The ministry says these systems must be in place to allow for the continued facilitation of education to children through remote access without physically attending school, a timely provision amidst local efforts at preventing the spread of COVID-19.
With funding available under the fast-tracked €10 million RESEMBID COVID-19 Resilience Response Facility, the Ministry says it officials are now moving swiftly towards delivering a final project design that will optimally serve the people of Montserrat for years to come.
The RESEMBID COVID-19 Resilience Response Facility supports the twelve Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) in their efforts at managing and responding to the impact of the Novel Coronavirus.
The Facility was established against the backdrop of overwhelmed public health systems across the OCTs, and the deepening social and economic challenges within the region.
With funding provided by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund, the Facility is a component of RESEMBID – a €40 million technical assistance programme that supports the sustainable human development efforts of the Caribbean OCTs.
RESEMBID commenced operations in January 2019, and is being implemented by Expertise France – the development cooperation agency of France – in collaboration with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), and the twelve Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).
The Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Silveria E. Jacobs, serves as the Programme’s Regional Authorizing Officer.
The twelve participating OCTs are Anguilla, Aruba, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, and Turks and Caicos Islands.