60 students participate in Science workshop

With the “Let’s Go Creative’ theme, several students and teachers will benefit from science and “technopreneurship” training which should enhance their innovative skills.

Last Thursday, July 24, an official ceremony to open the Science and “Technopreneurship” workshop and camp was held at the Murray Heights conference room.{{more}}

The training, which was held in two phases, aims to train teachers to carry out creative workshops and organize young inventors’ competitions among students. The teachers will also produce training material to help stimulate and develop students’ creative potential.

The camp, which is being held at the St. Vincent Grammar School, began on Monday, July 28, and involves 60 students between the ages 11 and 18 years old. Over the past week, students have been exploring the areas of Food Technology, Sound, Electronics and Magnetism. The camp concludes today, Thursday, July 31.

Minister of Technology and Science Jerrol Thompson, in his address to the opening ceremony, said that even though technology has been misused by some, it is unlimited in power. He believes that there is no other sector that is a greater “…catalyst and a driver for advancement and development than Science and Technology”.

Thompson told the students that with a vision, they could change the world. He expressed the opinion that we need more innovators, change agents and transformers who are dedicated to changing our world.

Meanwhile Dolly Nicolas, representative of the National Institute of Higher Education Research Science and Technology (NIHERST) of Trinidad and Tobago said that her organization’s aim is to help young people around the region develop skills in creative thinking and action. Nicolas, who believes the camp is a “small step in the right direction,” thinks that our education system should be reoriented to develop the analytical skills and the habit of inquiry and experimentation among our students.

Nicolas foresees that no matter one’s educational or intellectual levels, they will be required to use their human ingenuity to remain marketable and productive as traditional jobs disappear.

Organization of American states (OAS) representative Merlene Glynn said her organization is proud to partner with the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines in support of the programme. She said it is commendable that after a long school year, teachers are acquiring skills that will add value to their students. Glynn hopes that at the end of the workshop and camp, the training would have been worth the participants’ time and effort.

Also giving brief remarks was Senior Education Officer for Research & Development in the Ministry of Education Hilton Browne. The event is sponsored by the OAS, with support from the National Institute of Higher Education Research Science and Technology of Trinidad and Tobago (NIHERST) and the Ministry of Science and Technology.(VM)