Saturday, September 4 2010

Two days prior to the start of the new school term, preparations for the start of the laptop programme for this year’s successful Secondary Entrance Assessment, (SEA), students were in full swing yesterday.

The Ministry of Education (Moe) hosted a “sensitisation” programme for Form One Secondary school teachers at the Rudrinath Capildeo LRC Centre, Couva.

According to an officer at the Ministry’s corporate communications office, the “one-day sensitisation programme” was also being facilitated by ministry officials, and was geared at appraising the teachers of their “roles and responsibilities” as Form One teachers with specific emphasis on the laptop programme.

The officer observed that the one-day programme would be followed by an ongoing training programme for the teachers to deal specifically with Information Technology, (IT) and would take place during the new school term.

The officer described teacher response as “very encouraging” saying the teachers were “very willing” to participate in the laptop programme.

The supply of laptops to successful SEA students was one of several campaign promises by the People’s Partnership Administration during the General Election campaign.

Accordingly, Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar at Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing at Coco Reef Resort, Store Bay, Tobago, indicated that the laptops, which cost $83 million dollars, would contain security and other safety features to prevent potential abuse.

According to the MoE, the computers, HP 425 Notebook PC’s, would be equipped with a Computrance security feature which would allow the Ministry to “spot” the location of a stolen computer by tracking the IP address when it logs on. It would also permit the Ministry to “remote-wipe” all material off a stolen computer.

Some 20,300 machines are being purchased with approximately 17,000 machines for the successful SEA students, and an additional 3,000 machines for the teachers.

Meanwhile, a supervisor of a prominent San Fernando bookstore has described sales of school books as “slow but steady” saying sales were comparable to last year’s.

The official at Unique Books and Sports store, which has also instituted its annual book — buying exchange initiative in which specific used school books could be redeemed for cash, said most parents were interested in purchasing new books as opposed to used books for their children.

“We have had a slow, but steady stream of people starting from the beginning of August so there is not the usual last minute rush,” he said.

The situation was the same at most of the other leading book sellers with parents lining up at counters to purchase books and uniforms in preparation for the start of the new school term, which begins on Monday.