ICT as a subject in the School curriculum

To help support the development of an efficient workforce for sustaining growth in a knowledge based economy and society and to adapt and thrive in a global IT environment as an “intelligent cyber island”, Government approved the Information and Communication’s Technology Project in August 2002. This involves the introduction of ICT as a subject in our primary schools. This constitutes a major component of the ongoing reforms in education.

Main objectives

The main Objectives of the Project are to teach ICT as a subject in its own right and to promote the usage of ICT as a supporting and enabling tool for education and for e-learning across the whole spectrum of primary schooling. The ultimate objective is to provide each child, at the end of primary schooling, with a ‘computer driving licence’.

Strategies
(a) To construct and equip I.T laboratories in all primary schools of the
Republic.
(a) To teach ICT as a school subject at all levels of primary schooling.
(b) To promote usage of ICT as a supporting and enabling tool for education
right from pre-primary up to secondary level.
( c) To promote e- learning.

ICT in the school curriculum

ICT as a school subject has been introduced in all the primary schools of the Republic as from January 2003 and is being taught in all standards by a cohort of 327 ICT teachers who have completed a full time pre service training programme and who have acquired Proficiency in ICT Education for primary schools.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research is providing the necessary physical infrastructure and technological backup to the National Productivity and Competitiveness Council ( NPCC) for organizing a continuous in service Computer Proficiency Programme ( CPP) for all teachers of the primary and secondary school sector. This is an example of an efficient public private partnership for manpower development and for ensuring quality through training in the field of education.

This ambitious project will involve the construction of 227 new I.T laboratories and
the conversion of 90 existing spare classrooms into I.T laboratories including 13 in Rodrigues and 2 in Agalega and the procurement of adequate hardware, software and peripherals to make these laboratories fully functional. All necessary exercise pertaining to construction work and to procurement of the hardware and software has been completed and tenders will be launched soon.

Contingency Plan

Since the 317 computer laboratories will not be ready and fully operational before the end of 2003, a contingency plan has been devised. The teachers have been trained to manage a classroom with one, two or several computers and to design activities accordingly. A recent survey has revealed that in a majority of school, an IT corner has been set up. The I.T coach of the National Computer Board is visiting primary schools regularly for demonstration.