The development of applications such as the recently launched CXC Connect, is critical to the CARICOM Single ICT Space.

Speaking at the Guyana launch of the application on July 31, Deputy Program Manager ICT4D at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, 0Jennifer Britton, said that the Single ICT Space was one of the initiatives undertaken by the CARICOM Secretariat which linked strongly to the launch and utility of CXC Connect.

“The Single ICT space is a major transformational project for the CARICOM region. It will provide and support the digital layer of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).  Apps (applications) which provide and use CARICOM content are of singular importance to the single ICT space.”

The App, the first mobile application of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) – a CARICOM Institution – has a newsfeed which pulls content from CXC social media spaces with push notifications for specific messages. With the App, students, parents and teachers can use their mobile devices to check examination results which will be available in August. CXC Connect is designed for Android and iOS devices, including mobile phones and tablets, and can be downloaded from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store.

Ms. Britton described the App as a very tangible and real response to the social, economic and environmental challenges that the CXC and many other regional organizations faced. Among the challenges she identified were the fact that CXC was headquartered in one country but had stakeholders and main clients in 17 or more territories; and inadequate financing.

She said that she was confident that with the App, the CXC base of about 10,000 would expand exponentially. She also lauded the regional institution for being innovative by linking ICT and education to provide essential service products to its customers.