Curriculum, Training, and Instruction

Numerous strategies have been developed to focus on curriculum, training and instruction. They include:

• Integrating ICT into school curricula, with the goal of attainment of computer literacy for all school leavers;
• Facilitating management and planning of ICT in education, with an emphasis on identifying, recruiting, and training qualified personnel to carry out such roles;
• Attracting and retaining ICT teachers in the educational system by offering training opportunities, reduced workloads, and financial incentives;
• Recognising publicly individuals and institutions who have made significant contributions to ICT development in Antigua and Barbuda, through annual awards ceremonies;
• Ensuring that teachers, lecturers and curriculum officers at all levels of education and in all subject matters are provided with training in the integration of ICT into classrooms;
• Recruiting teachers who are computer literate;
• Using ICT to support students’ attainment of literacy, numeracy, thinking and problem-solving skills;
• Addressing students’ individual needs through the use of ICT;
• Encouraging students and teachers to use their creativity through the development of multimedia educational software;
• Ensuring that teachers receive appropriate training before introducing ICT into the classroom;
• Preventing access to obscene or profane material on the internet;
• Implementing information systems to strengthen education administration;
• Addressing legal and ethical issues pertaining to application of ICT as appropriate;
• Establishing the infrastructure necessary for the implementation of ICT in education;
• Working with stakeholders to set out procurement procedures and guidelines for ICT acquisition;
• Establishing protocols for identifying and evaluating software appropriate for all levels of instruction;
• Nurturing private sector-educational institution collaboration in implementing ICT;
• Establishing procedures and rules for acceptable ICT use in education;
• Adopting common standards in hardware and system architecture within the educational system;
• Assisting in the formulation of a technology plan at each individual school;
• Linking educational institutions in a secure network that can be used for administration or communication;
• Installing furniture and equipment that are ergonomically designed;
• Facilitating equal access to ICT for students;
• Adopting a standard software package for all computers within the education system;
• Assisting school leaders to undertake responsibility for ICT resources within their schools.

Assessment, Support and Sustainability of ICT Initiatives

Additional strategies have been developed to focus on assessment, support and sustainability of ICT initiatives within the education system. They include:

• Seeking out financial assistance to sustain the budget necessary for ICT systems integration;
• Partnering with stakeholders to finance the cost of investment and ongoing expenses related to the integration of ICT in education;
• Developing a decentralised network of technical support services to provide service to schools locally;
• Collaborating with educational institutions to determine the optimal configuration for instructing and learning with ICT in a variety of settings, drawing on lessons learned;
• Facilitating community ICT use and the revenue generation required to maintain equipment;
• Ensuring the relevancy of ICT in education programmes to meeting the needs of all stakeholders;
• Acting prudently in the procurement of computer systems, taking into consideration upgrading and maintenance costs;
• Minimising the cost of maintenance for ICT software and hardware used in education;
• Providing support for research and evaluation of the impact of ICT integration in education.