200 More Teachers Trained In ICT

Over 200 teachers and lecturers, who have been trained in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) under the e-learning programme, were presented with their certificates at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, on Friday (June 18).
This brings to over 11,000 the total number of teachers who have been trained to use the technology that they will need to integrate into their teaching methods.
The e-learning project seeks to improve the learning experience in Jamaica’s high schools, and impact the level of passes in the school-leaving examinations, in particular the Caribbean Examination Council’s Secondary Examination.

Senior Programme Director, Enterprise Based Training, HEART Trust/NTA, Winston Fletcher (right) presents a certificate of participation to St. Andrew High School for Girls teacher, Everton Johnson, during the 12th graduation ceremony for participants in the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) under the e-learning programme at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston on Friday, June 18.

Speaking at the 12th graduation ceremony, Chief Executive Officer/Project Manager, e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, Avrill Crawford, said that through the project, it is anticipated that students in Jamaican high schools will benefit from a mix of formal methods and informal entertaining approaches to learning, to stimulate the teaching/learning process and excite young minds to embark on a quest for knowledge.
“We have had feedback from several schools that e-Learning Jamaica project has been enhancing the educational environment, and that the use of the materials and equipment during lesson delivery has heightened students’ interest in learning and has also made lesson preparation much easier for teachers,” she added.
She said that the success of the progamme depends on the extent to which the teachers have grasped the technology, and understand how to use it in their instructional delivery.
Senior Programme Director for Enterprise Based Training at HEART Trust/NTA, Winston Fletcher, congratulated the graduates for the work they had done, adding that the newly acquired skills will provide them with distinct advantages.
He said that the certification which they have received will be recognised internationally, and the training will better equip them for the 21st century classroom.
Director at e-Learning Jamaica Company Limited, Christopher Reckord, said that the use of ICT is critical hence teaching children how to master, or use, the technology is of utmost importance.
He challenged the graduates to prepare the students for work both locally and internationally, as the use of technology is widely recognised across the globe.
Under the programme, installations have been carried out at 176 institutions. Some 74 regional education officers have now taken advantage of the offering. In addition over 400 system administrators and 170 trainers of trainers have been trained by the HEART Trust/NTA.
The project has five components designed to address each of the following objectives; development of ICT-based instructional materials in 11 subject areas, provision of equipment/technologies, training of teachers, remedial interventions and a continuous assessment component.
The teachers and lecturers who completed the ICT skills course are now holders of the level one or two NCTVET, NCQ-J certificate.