80 COMPUTERS, 30 PRINTERS FOR SCHOOLS

The Anguilla Government was presented with eighty computers and 30 inkjet printers which were distributed to the six public primary schools where Information Technology is part of the curriculum. The equipment was provided by The Mount Sinai School District of New York.

A Handing-over Ceremony was held at the Valley Primary School on Monday February 10 and was attended by education officials from the Ministry and Department of Education as well as the Principals and staff of the schools. The event also marked the opening of a two-week Integration of Technology in the Classroom Workshop which is being conducted by Robert Petrilak and Jennifer Bontempi, of The Mount Sinai School District, along with six support persons from the Government’s Information Technology Unit and the Education Department. There are 14 workshop participants from the schools.
Minister of Social Development, Eric Reid, described the occasion as a demonstration of partnership in its truest sense. He said the Anguilla Government was committed to ensuring that future generations were equipped with the necessary tools to function and survive in a technological world.
Mr. Reid explained that the Government recognised the need for additional technological resources, but that financial constraints sometimes limited what was possible to undertake. He stated that in such times the contribution of the private sector and other agencies was most meaningful. He was grateful to George Petrilak, who resides in Anguilla, for recognising the need and providing the solution by contacting his brother Robert Patrilak in New York who kindly arranged the gift of computers. He was also grateful to Haskins Limited and Tropical Shipping for providing reduced freight charges thus contributing to the development of the island’s youth and the education system.

“In the spirit of true partnership, the project does not end here with this ceremony or even at the end of the workshop period of technical assistance,” the Minister went on. “Teachers and support staff are key players in the partnership in education and must recognise their responsibility to Anguilla’s children. Our ultimate goal is the development of Anguilla. If your contribution is to enthusiastically teach the children in your charge, then do it with pride. If it is to respond quickly to a request to repair a computer system which is not working, then give it your best shot…

“The significance of today’s ceremony and the following workshop must not be underestimated. Technology has become a first word used in almost every forum. It has revitalised the dialogue and thinking that is necessary to teaching and learning Information Technology. The two most common benefits cited in using computers and the internet in education, are that they improve learning and the cost effectiveness of education. Information Technology and the internet allow for greater access to information and resource material, enable increased productivity and the sharing of resources; and computer and information technology skills allow us to be more competitive in the job market. We must ensure that our future generations have the skills to compete on a level playing field.”

Workshop facilitator Robert Petrilak, Technical Director with Mount Sinai School District, was grateful to Education Planner Dawin Reid for assisting him in coordinating the project. He said that as part of the workshop he would ensure that the computers were properly installed and in good working order and pledged to assist the children in their objective to aim for and achieve excellence.

Mrs. Reid gave an overview of the project in which she said that formal contact with the Mount Sinai School District was made by the Ministry of Education in December 2001. Details of the equipment were then provided to the Government’s Information and Technology Unit by Mr. Petrilak. Under the agreement the Education Department was required to provide a statement on the use of the equipment, confirmation that it would only be used for educational purposes and a staff development plan.

“This was quite timely as at that point the Education Department was in the process of development a curriculum for Information Technology to be piloted in grade 4 classes in all public primary schools,” Mrs. Reid stated. “A donation of computers at this point appeared to be God-sent as it would facilitate the implementation of the new grade 4 Information Technology curriculum. The computers at the time were still in use in the schools in Mount Sinai and would only be available in July 2002. All of the equipment was in good working order and maintained by technical people at the Mount Sinai District. The technical details were approved by the Information Technology Unit and the Government in Anguilla.”

She too highly commended the Haskins for their kindness in getting the equipment here and was grateful the Mount Sinai School District for the gift.

Some of the students who will use the computers singing at the presentation ceremony

L-R: Jennifer Bontempi, Hon. Eric Reid, Principal Veda Harrigan, Robert Petrilak, Education Planner Dawn Reid