Carmona calls for greater technological approach to education

He was speaking at the launch of Presentation College, San Fernando’s project upgrade at the school’s auditorium yesterday. The project is expected to introduce the concept of “smart classrooms” to the school where students would benefit from an integrated multi-media computer and lighting system.

“I have a very strong philosophy in the context of Caribbean governance, I continue to push throughout the Caribbean region when I meet with leaders, when I meet with heads of state, when I meet with VIPs, persons who walk the corridors of the Republic, (and) I am at pains to indicate to them that in every Caribbean country there must be a ministry of innovation, invention and technology,” Carmona said.

“We are lagging behind in terms of our governance structure, in terms of putting forward a transforming nation.” He said the conventional methods of learning was not working and there was a need to “engage in transformational education.” “What better way to engage in that transformational educational system than through technology.” “You can in fact have a vibrant profitable diversification through technology because I can tell you I have been coming across a lot of our young men with brilliant ideas for apps for programmes for inventions and we need to create the required governance structure to accommodate that outreach that will be far more profitable in more ways than one, than oil and gas,” Carmona said.

“That’s the reality.

A student in Trinidad and Tobago can create an app that will be a billion dollar industry,” he said.

He however warned that society was in danger of becoming a “wasteland” due to the prevalence of social media platforms.

“I like that philosophy of recognising that we are in a crisis of relevance in that we must attune ourselves to the reality of a world that is burdened by social media, the internet and veritable good things of it but also the wasteland it is creating and has created,” Carmona said.

“I often remember T.S Elliot the wastelands when sometimes I look at the various comments found in social media and we need to arrest it. We cannot fold our arms we need to fight the good fight,” he said.

He however noted that the introduction of the “smart classrooms” would have a positive impact on the lives and aspirations of students at Presentation College.

The cost of the upgrade is estimated at between $35,000- $50,000 per classroom.