EDUTech@Seychelles IT expo a success |19 September 2012

The first edition of EDUTech@Seychelles, which was officially launched by the Minister for Education, Macsuzy Mondon, provided opportunities for the public to view progress and developments in information and communication technology (ICT) in education, through an exposition which went on for two days.

Different organisations and partners of the Ministry of Education were invited to showcase products, programs, projects and other initiatives that can help in the promotion of ICT in education at the expo.

The Ministry of Education’s stand at the expo showcased a mini classroom using the Sheikh Khalifa project with students and teachers from Plaisance and La Misère primary schools.  Parents, teachers and students were able to see the equipment being used in a classroom setting.

Among the stands at the expo were Cable and Wireless Seychelles, University of Seychelles, Microsoft Corporation, Space95, ishop and Intelvision.

On Friday, students from different schools visited the expo in groups of fifteen and twenty.  This was organised and coordinated by the Schools Division of the Ministry of Education and the head teachers of the different schools.

The majority of the students who visited the expo were more attracted by the Cable and Wireless, the X-Box and Windows 8 demo, the University of Seychelles and Space95 stands.

Additionally, the students who visited the expo received gifts such as pen drives, caps and t-shirts from the different organisations’ stands.

As part of the EDUTech@Seychelles program, a forum was held on Friday September 14 which brought together officers from the Ministry of Education, heads of educational institutions, teachers and representatives from local and international partners, as well as students.

Natasha Ekstrom, Microsoft Corporation’s Education Lead, presented the key note address to guide the panel discussions around topics such as implications, challenges, expectations of using ICT as a teaching and learning tool, the developments of ICT as a tool in education, and the roles of the private sector in promoting ICT in education.

The panels presented their findings and recommendations at the forum.  The information was collected by the EDUTech Committee, will be compiled into a report and used as guidelines for preparing the EDUTech Committee’s action plan and in assisting the Ministry of Education in the task of promoting ICT in teaching and learning.

The EDUTech@Seychelles logo and ICT competition were also officially launched at the ceremony by Minister Mondon.

The aim of the competition is to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate how they can use ICT to support learning and a chance for teachers to make use of ICT as a teaching and learning tool.

The different categories include primary, secondary and post secondary for both students and teachers, either as individuals or groups of up to four participants.

Application forms for the competition were distributed to students and teachers at the expo.  The application form is also available at the Human Resources and Administration Division and the IT Services Unit of the Ministry of Education.

The EDUTech@Seychelles expo closed on Saturday September 15 with an address by the director general for Schools Division, Odile Octave.  She thanked the participants, on behalf of the EDUTech committee, for their support and hard work, and called on everyone to support the ministry in its endeavour to promote the use of ICT in teaching and learning in our schools.