Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Keith Mitchell is calling for greater unity and co-operation among Member States to enhance Education across the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OECS.
He made the call at the recent Meeting of the OECS Authority in St. John’s Antigua. The Grenadian leader said, that the sub-region is not utilizing its potential in education, which is causing a disservice to students and young people.
Dr. Mitchell has acknowledged, that the University of the West Indies has done tremendously over the years to lift the standard of Education across the Caribbean.
He told his OECS counterparts that more is needed to train and educate the people of the Eastern Caribbean.
“The University of the West Indies is not enough to satisfy the educational needs of the people of the region. Unless we can find a way to provide various skills and other Educational Institutions, we will continue to lose some of our best and brightest to countries that offer them more choices.” Dr Mitchell said.
“We need to co-operate at the sub-regional level to make Technological Education more accessible, so as to increase opportunities across Member States.”
Prime Minister Mitchell wants the OECS and indeed the entire Caribbean, to fully maximize the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN), which was launched recently in Port of Spain, to provide nationals with an opportunity to empower themselves by accessing degrees and courses on line.
“We need to take leadership of the CKLN and build on the Information Technology Support System that is available. In an era of global information exchange, Information Communication Technology (ICT), must be seen as an essential pillar in any discussion of development in the OECS community and the stabilization and growth of their economies.” Dr. Mitchell said.
“We have already held discussions with and are accepting proposals from investors around the world with a view to implementing live technology use in schools within the framework of the established curricula “ he said, adding that using the CKLN, the sub-region can be part of an International On Line Network, which will enable students to communicate with their peers and teachers abroad. Students can take lessons from foreign instructors, and our own teachers will have an opportunity to share their skills abroad as well.”
Dr. Mitchell indicated that the region cannot afford to allow its children to fall further behind in the Information and Communication Age.
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