Focus being placed on digital transformation of education systems

INFORMATION Communication Technology (ICT), while a fundamental element in and of itself, is only part of the solution needed to support the online de- livery of content and the eventual digital transformation of the education system for Caribbean students. This was the main take-away from the Caribbean Telecommunications Union’s ICT in Education - A Caribbean Forum.
Caribbean educators, technocrats from ministries of education, telecommunications and ICT professionals and other stakeholders gathered virtually for the Forum, using an interactive event platform. The CTU hosted the Forum in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Ogranization (UNESCO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on the 26th and 27th January 2022.
Presenters noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has fast-tracked the Caribbean’s push towards the digital transformation of its education systems,
as regional governments sought in early 2020 to manage the spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus with the immediate cessa- tion of face-to-face content delivery in favour of the online delivery of curric- ula.
This shift revealed several significant and disturbing gaps, such as the inequitable access to ICT across socio-eco- nomic groups and between rural and urban areas in the region. Gaps also exist in some territories with regard to curricula and content within those curricula. It was noted that these issues will likely have long-term significance as students who are unable to access online or hybrid learning opportunities may “drop out”, impacting their futures and national levels of productivity, employment and employability and youth innovation and entrepreneurship.
Addressing the more than 300 participants on the online platform, H. E. Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States noted, “It is not enough to provide laptops in schools, if we do not ensure adequate broadband. Laptops with broadband, but without educational content suited to the so- cietal context, is simply a tool for stu- dent serendipity. And laptops in classrooms without teacher under- standing of the technology and teacher capability to utilize as a ped- agogical tool, renders the device use- less in the classroom context.
“Transformation of education must be done across the whole education ecosystem, as change in one domain must be buttressed by corresponding
changes in other domains of the sys- tem. As such, teacher training to im- prove the competencies in a virtual space; the creation of culturally ap- propriate content; innovative mech- anisms for marginal and vulnerable students such as those challenged by disability and poverty; and the uni- versal access to internet connectivity and devices are some of the chal- lenges that ministries of education had to address regionally,” he further commented.
Meanwhile a number of agencies have been lauded for rising to the task of providing the necessary sup- port to aid in the transformation of education. These include the UNESCO, which produced the booklet, ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, a document aimed at help- ing countries to develop comprehen- sive national teacher ICT competency policies and standards; the OECS which developed a number of online learning and instructional re- sources and platforms, including a digital library to aid teachers, stu- dents, parents within the Eastern Caribbean; and the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) which restructured its training programmes to aid member countries in accessing the skill and competencies needed to further their digital transformation.