THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MULTIMEDIA SMART CLASSROOM IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT OF THE ICT IN EDUCATION PROGRAMME.

On Thursday, Nov. 10, Micoud Secondary School received a new multimedia SMART classroom, courtesy of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia. Micoud Secondary now joins several schools across the island that have received 65” smart screens and camera equipment that now make learning more interactive and fun.

His Excellency Peter Chia-yen Chen, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, joined Hon. Jeremiah Norbert, Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly and Member of Parliament for Micoud North, and school principal, Mrs. Flora Emmanuel-Joseph, for the official opening ceremony held at the school.

Ambassador Chen thanked colleagues from the Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM), Ministry of Education, and Micoud Secondary School for making the project a reality, adding that students’ learning will now be improved through the use of technology.

“The establishment of multimedia smart classroom is a crucial component of the ICT in Education programme cooperated by the Governments of Taiwan and Saint Lucia,” Ambassador Chen said. “It cannot be a success without identifying students’ needs and without differentiating the education and resources gap among each community.”

He added: “We hope teachers and students of Micoud Secondary will make good use of the smart classroom by working together to explore their interests and possibilities, and to prepare themselves to face challenges and opportunities.”

Ambassador Chen noted that Taiwan will continue to provide high-quality, inclusive and accessible digital education in Saint Lucia, and will continue to work jointly with the Government of Saint Lucia to support the adaptation of the education and training systems to the digital age.

Hon. Norbert thanked the Government of Taiwan for seeing the importance in assisting Saint Lucian students. After viewing on television various schools around the island receiving smart classrooms from the Taiwanese Embassy, he said he had hoped Micoud Secondary would also be a beneficiary.

“Today it gives me great joy to be part of this ceremony, and I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to you and your team,” he told Ambassador Chen. “As we all know, there are competing demands for the limited resources that we have. So for you to choose Micoud Secondary, we feel very blessed to be part of this initiative.”

He added: “I know that this smart classroom will go a long way in improving the experience of both teachers and students at the school. It is my hope that this smart classroom will create an even more engaging environment. I’m happy to know that students can now be at home and still follow what happens in the classroom.”

School principal, Emmanuel-Joseph thanked Ambassador Chen for the donation, noting that the cutting-edge technology will augment the students’ learning.

“Micoud Secondary School says ‘thank you’ for this awesome classroom, this awesome gift that you’ve given to us, because we definitely need it to boost the learning environment that exists here, and to ensure that, through its use, our students’ performance will definitely increase.”

She added: “Ambassador Chen, I want to assure you and your team that you have not made an error in selecting Micoud Secondary to be part of this wonderful learning experience that the world is embracing and for which we are lagging behind.”

As part of its mandate to assist the socio-development of Saint Lucia, the Government of Taiwan has pledged to equip primary and secondary schools in Saint Lucia with smart technology.