Mayaro cable TV on the road

The yet unnamed venture will begin with three to five-hour test feeds per day starting December 2006. Discussions have already began with various NGO’s in the area to assist with developing content and themes which will highlight life, entertainment, culture, history and sports in Mayaro Guayaguayare and Rio Claro.

There are plans to involve Forms Four and Five students of secondary schools in the area to participate in journalism and film-making. Incentives will be provided to motivate students in these activities, Parey said. Parey said that too many schoolchildren in the area actually believe that Mayaro is a dead end and if one can’t weld, pull iron or seine, the future is predictable. As such MCTV over the next year will attempt a “cable in the class Room”, initiative with the primary focus of bringing the world into the classrooms.

“Our children must be exposed to the world of how and why things happen, in the process develop a keen sense of action and consequence as part of everyday life,” Parey said. He reminded parents to constantly focus and refocus their children’s view of the world as a global community rather than seeing different peoples of different races and faces with no correlation to our own very existence.

The concept of cable in the classroom is a widely used tool in most US school districts. By accessing interactive TV, Parey said teachers can pause programming thus allowing discussions on subject material to occur. He emphasised while this is not practised in Trinidad and Tobago his organisation will approach the Ministry of Education with a conceptualisation plan for delivery, with the hope of having at least one school in the area online within the next 12 months.

“We will commit to offer controlled programming to every primary, secondary and pre-school within the confines of their net work,” he said. “Some of you may be asking if we “fuh real” as the young folk say. Can we accomplish all this before July 2007?

Yes we can,” he said. “But it can only be realised with your support. We ask that you have faith in us and we will deliver on our commitment and strive to fulfill our mission and vision.” Attending the launch were Dr Joseph Laquis, Group Founder and Chairman Laqtel, and Bal Gunnes of Tele-communication Authority TT.