Stewartville Secondary School gets $7M smart classroom

Technology is advancing and to ensure children are equipped to function in an advanced society, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Monday commissioned a smart classroom at the Stewartville Secondary School on the West Coast of Demerara.

The $7 million smart classroom is equipped with an audio system, interactive boards, and voice-activated cameras, among other features. It is also fully air-conditioned.

Delivering remarks at the commissioning ceremony, Manickchand said the intention is to ensure every school is outfitted with a smart classroom.

And to ensure students benefit from improved learning, she pledged that the government will continue to invest in providing the necessary resources.

“…What we want to make sure is that you are trained and taught and dealt with to be the best you are capable of…it is very important that we are able to make you into the best version of yourself.

“You will see a lot of efforts and investments being made into the education sector…The reason for that is to make you more advanced than your parents are. To give you opportunities that your parents never had….but we can’t make you responsible. You still have a job here. You have to want this. You have to work to earn better.”

Provisions for the smart classrooms form part of a $1.3 billion allocation in the Ministry of Education 2023 budget under the Secondary Education Improvement Project, which is being funded through the World Bank.

“We have to ensure that we disseminate education in such a manner that no child is left behind,” Regional Chairman, Inshan Ayube said.

According to Ayube, teachers are duty-bound to ensure the resources are maintained.

“…It is the responsibility of the head of this school in connection with all the teachers to ensure that when we have these type of resources placed at our disposal that we will be very accountable with the manner in how we use them and how we take care of them,” he said.

The smart classroom is among 25 that are on the cards to be commissioned by the ministry this year.