Grenada's PM Emphasizes the Importance of Technology in in the Education of Young People
St. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell Friday underscored the need for both students and teachers to be comfortable learning and unlearning in a rapidly changing global environment given that technology is playing a leading and growing role in their future development.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell with Grenadian students.“Advancement in robotics and artificial intelligence and other trends and rapid advances in technology will continue to have a profound impact on the skills of our young people who will need to succeed at home, work, and in the global community,” Mitchell told the opening ceremony of the second annual Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Ministerial Summit.
He told the participants, who are mainly regional education ministers and other educators that skills in technology now provide additional options to citizens through remote work.
“The question then is how CXC can pivot to become more viable in light of these rapid technological advancements. Our education system needs to meet the needs of today’s contemporary students and leverage the capabilities of modern technology and online education for a regional delivery.”
Mitchell, who has lead responsibility for Information Communication and Technology (ICT) within the quasi-Cabinet of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that online learning provides students with access to a wide selection of courses and online resources beyond those associated locally and regionally and so it will be wise for CXC to make it a priority.
“Additionally, online enables blended learning models that make it possible to customize the time, the place, the path, and the pace of instructions to tailor learning experiences to each student’s individual learning needs,” Prime Minister Mitchell said, reminding delegates of the numerous courses offered online from well-known universities.
He said besides technology, he wants to see educational opportunities provided by CXC in non-traditional areas such as fishing.
“In the OECS, in particular, the ocean space is many times that of the land space but our education system does not reflect that, our education system should begin to reflect the reality that our marine space is several times larger than our land space,” said Mitchell, noting that most people get into the fishing sector by chance or being citizens in fishing communities.
“Our role as governments and regional institutions is to put the necessary frameworks, policies, programs, and financing in place to assist our citizens on this path to self-sufficiency and sustainability,” said Mitchell.
He said that students should engage in proffering solutions to the unique challenges that the region faces given that these are the issues that they will inherit in the not to distance future.
Mitchell is also calling on the CXC and other regional institutions to diversify and enrich the offerings to citizens in the region.
“For example, the CXC learning hub can be enhanced in partnership with other organizations enabling greater and easier access to digital content, the extra-regional sale of CXC products and other revenue generations initiatives may also prove worthy of exploration.”
The summit is being held under the theme “Flexible Learning, Credentialing and Assessment,” and will consider flexible learning and assessment in a new paradigm of educational credentialing within the region’s education system.
“Key emphasis of the summit is the exploration of CXC’s new qualifications management framework and flexible learning and assessment strategies at the secondary and post-secondary education level,” said Dr. Wayne Wesley, Registrar, and CXC’s chief executive officer.
