Commencing with the new academic year (2017 – 2018) the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School (ALHCS) will begin formally using laptops as part of their instructional practices. The driving force behind this change is to meet the evolving requirements of our regional examining body the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).
CXC began using e-testing with their multiple choice exams in January 2017 and is expected to begin administering electronic paper 2 examinations as of January 2018. The Ministry of Education, in accordance with the Education Development Plan 2015 – 2018, has implemented a Bring Your Device Policy (BYOD) encouraging students to bring a laptop to school.
For this academic year, parents of students who are enrolled in the CXC Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) program (Forms 4 & 5) were issued a letter as part of their end of year reports outlining the importance of acquiring a suitable computer as well as answering any questions that parents might have.
The BYOD is a further development of the Mobile Device Policy (MDP) implemented by the ALHCS in 2016. At the time of the implementation of the MDP Mrs. Joyce Stuart, principal of the ALHCS, was quoted as saying: “If we are to meet our mandate of preparing our students for a changing technological future, we must first embrace the use of technology ourselves”.
The school, with technical guidance from the Department of Information Technology and e-Government Services (DITES), has begun a process of upgrading the existing facilities to accommodate the greater use of technology.
It is expected that free WiFi for internet access, as well as an online portal that can be used to access and submit work, will be available in September 2017 for all students to use. In addition, the training of teachers to utilize digital modes of subject content delivery will begin during the school’s planning week and continue on an ongoing basis throughout the school year. This will allow teachers to assess in a manner similar to that being employed by CXC, ensuring that our students are well practiced in advance of sitting their examinations.
Another focus for this first year will be the emphasis on teaching online safety and security to the students. There have been too many incidents of inappropriate online behavior and it is important that the school leads the way in alleviating the problem.
Excellence is best achieved through cooperation. The Ministry and Department of Education will continue to work fastidiously with parents/guardians to provide the highest quality education possible. By working hand in hand together it is possible for us to become a center of excellence for the region.
Ministry of Education
28th August 2017
