Teachers get added skills

A ten-day Teachers’ workshop, aimed at integrating Information Communication Technology (ICT) into the curriculum to enrich the teaching/learning process, began last Monday at the Girls’ High School.
Over 176 teachers will be exposed to such training over a three-year period. {{more}}The workshop is being facilitated by ECT International and funded by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hon. Clayton Burgin, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, noted that his Government is in full support of the workshop. Burgin said that the skills imparted to the teachers would be an added benefit, as they would use more creative ways to teach the children. By doing this, the Minister added that the teachers would help to realize the “new thrust towards education” as envisioned by the Government.
Merlene Glynn, director of OAS SVG, also spoke at the ceremony. She stated that the traditional teaching methods, though tried and true, could not be solely depended on in this era of technological advancement. She said the OAS is pleased to be associated with the project in SVG and anticipates a large batch of highly skilled teachers at the end of the workshop.
Representatives from the ETC International, Dr. Mary Markowsky and her associate Liz Smith-Thompson, gave a rundown as to the areas they expect to cover by the end of the workshop. Smith- Thompson stressed that, “Not knowing how to use technology in the 21st century will be as completely disadvantageous as not knowing how to read at the turn of the last century.”
The workshop ends on Friday, 23rd July 2004.