Survey of ICT and Education in the Caribbean: Volume 1 - Regional Trends and Analysis; Volume 2 - Country Reports

This Survey of ICT and Education in the Caribbean: Volume 1 - Regional Trends and Analysis; Volume 2 - Country Reports comprises 16 country reports, primarily Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), that provide an overview of the current activities and developments related to information and communication technology (ICT) use in education in each country. Many SIDS in the Caribbean have worked over the last 10 years to increase both ICT skills instruction and more general use of ICT in education despite regional challenges, such as limited ICT capacity of the private sector (where those skills might be used) and the more traditional exam-focused orientation of instruction. These efforts have increased student access to ICT at the secondary level, and enhanced the knowledge, capacity, and experience of the region’s education personnel, especially among those now responsible for furthering ICT.


On a regional level, prior emphasis on expanding ICT access has given way to emphasis on improving educational quality in relation to both traditional standards of assessment and to the nurturing of an “ideal Caribbean person” as described in the CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Charter for Civil Society. Both the Charter and the broad drivers of economic growth - tourism and financial services - can benefit, according to this survey, from the development of human capacity in general and from ICT skills in particular, offering a more highly-skilled labour force. The strategies begun as early as 2003 for enhancement of the enabling environment for ICT on a regional basis, according to this survey, have resulted in change that, "following a decade or more of only limited deregulation and market liberalization, has been slow. Institutional capacity in the public sector remains under-developed; technical capacity in the private sector, and more specifically “home-grown” IT- [information technology -] entrepreneurialism, is low in many countries. Limited enrolments at domestic TLIs [Technology Leadership Institutes] coupled with out-migration of citizens educated abroad compounds the situations in the civil and private sectors by limiting the potential for the emergence of a cadre of ICT professionals." Low penetration of ICT among the public is due to high costs of electrical power, internet connectivity, and computer maintenance, as well as lack of education and confidence in the ability to learn.


Regional trends in the education sector include a secondary level non-completion rate of up to 20% after grade 9 and a 33% non-completion of exams at the end of 11th grade. "Viewed in terms of the CXC [Caribbean Examinations Council] CSEC [Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate] exams - the yardstick acknowledged at least implicitly by both schools and students - the effectiveness of instruction across the region is moderate at best, and may be declining....Tertiary education is in short supply in the Caribbean."


Trends in ICT in Caribbean education show a lack of equipment and access. Some - but not all - primary schools have computers - most of which are older and in poor repair, limiting teachers' ability to make use of them to improve teaching and learning. Almost all secondary schools have labs with internet access; however, neither the number of computers nor internet bandwidth is adequate to meet student demand for IT classes. This limitation impacts exam preparation because both upper- and lower-secondary students use ICT to prepare for the CSEC IT exam. "School systems deviate from these general profiles by, for example, using cart-based laptop computers and wireless networks to provide ICT access in classrooms or by introducing alternative technologies, such as the digital white boards used in the [United States] US Virgin Islands. Although these technologies and configurations may support some teachers and their classes as they explore innovative approaches to teaching and learning, they will be used in most instances to support traditional curricula and pedagogies."


Three trends affecting ICT in primary and secondary education in SIDS are:

1. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) Internet connectivity (with no cost to schools) - typically paid by the national Ministry of Education (MOE);
2. School-site ICT maintenance by an MOE IT unit - A challenge is in these units is that they are typically under-staffed and over-tasked; and
3. Wireless networks, computer carts, and laptops - When school systems introduce or upgrade ICT, especially in primary schools, they increasingly deploy school-wide wireless networks.

Some challenges include procurement, costs, unlicensed (illegal copying of) software, and delays in policy adoption causing barriers to increasing effective ICT use. Suggested solutions include: a maintenance contract template; regional procurement workshops; total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations of ICT acquisition, operation, and disposal; small-scale testing of alternative hardware platforms for cost savings; and work on e-waste disposal.


Educational challenges include the following: over-focus on IT curriculum and exams; lack of (or ineffective) technology-focused teacher professional development (TPD) for subject teachers; few initiatives focusing on technology integration; and IT teachers limiting use of technology in schools. Suggested solutions are: ‘best practices in TPD’ identification and adoption; adoption of national or region-wide standards for teaching with technology; lesson plans for active learning; regular national events that highlight ICT innovation in schools; regional meetings on ICT innovation for ministry personnel; region-wide support for collaborative projects; regional and national SchoolNets; and appropriate TPD and incentives for IT teachers. Because high-stakes testing, such as the CXC exams, poses, as stated here, the strongest barrier to ICT integration and changes in teaching and learning, MOE personnel may be able, over time, to guide policy and practice toward incorporation of alternative assessment methods.