The Ministry of Education and Youth is looking to increase the number of institutions participating in the Coding in Schools Programme.
The initiative is designed to develop students' abilities in logical and critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, teamwork and mathematics, among other skills.
Portfolio Minister, Fayval Williams, says following the Ministry's assessment of the programme, and stakeholder consultations, “we are now at the point where we can expand it to more schools across the island”.
“November of last year marked the beginning of the full rollout of coding in schools, including the training of our teachers. This, from all indications, is going very well,” Mrs. Williams informed.
She was making her 2022/23 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Ministry launched the Coding in Schools pilot, in collaboration with the Amber Innovations Group, at Stony Hill HEART/NSTA Trust Academy in May 2021.
That engagement targeted 2,000 students in grades four and nine, drawn from 20 schools.
The programme, being facilitated under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry and Amber, will promote the teaching and learning of coding in public educational institutions islandwide.
Under the programme, classes in computer coding applications will be incorporated in the regular school curriculum.
Concepts will be practised through activities on Amber's online platform, with instructor oversight.
Williams also advised that the number of schools connected to the Government's Internet broadband network will shortly increase.
She informed that 30 institutions have already been linked, with another 381 schools set to be onboarded via third-party contractor.
Williams said a further 362 schools will get Wi-Fi local area network installed and upgraded.
“Our goal is to have adequate connectivity in all our schools… [because] the utilisation of technology in education is paramount,” Williams underscored.
0 Comments