$10.5M E-Library for North Georgetown Secondary
̶ facility is first of its kind in Guyana
̶ 25 tablets providing ICT enabled learning
By Nateshia Isaacs
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Modernising education remains a priority of the Education Ministry as the North Georgetown Secondary School opened Guyana’s first E-Library. This move gives 21st century ICT-enabled learning a boost, with 25 digital tablets accessible to students from Forms 1 to 5.
The $10.5M E-Library is a pilot project largely supported by the Old Students’ Association of the North Georgetown Secondary School and will be similarly modelled in schools across Guyana.
Education Minister, Hon. Dr. Nicolette Henry, in delivering her remarks at the launch, explained the significance of library spaces for the development of literacy and holistic education in classrooms.
“A large part of this country’s development is linked to what is happening in our classrooms and our schools, therefore promoting reading and school libraries are critical to eliminating illiteracy,” Minister Henry explained.
The E-library will give students access to a wide variety of learning, studying and reference material that can be used throughout their secondary school life.
The minister also spoke to the relation between ICT-enabled classrooms and improved education delivery standards around the world.
“E-Libraries, of course, are very relevant to education delivery in today’s ICT age as they open up windows to the world and inspire all of us to explore, achieve and contribute to improving the quality of our lives,” she added.
This project is in keeping with the ministry’s mandate to eliminate illiteracy, modernise education and strengthen tolerance in the school system and comes as the North Georgetown Secondary (NGSS) celebrates 50 years in existence.
Retired Admiral Gary Best, an ex-student of the NGSS, said that the school’s Parent-Teacher Association and the Old Students’ Association played a pivotal role in ensuring the project came to fruition through donations and fundraisers.
Also, the school received support from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Telecommunications’ E-Government Unit to provide enhanced education for the school.
The E-Library will be monitored by a librarian and is currently in its first phase. The second phase entails allowing access to the material via tablets outside of the E-Library itself while the third phase will see remote access provided so students can access library content from home.
The material provided in the E-library will include past exam papers, textbooks and worksheets in all subject areas offered by the Secondary School Curriculum.
The Education Ministry has been upgrading school infrastructure, school curricula and has been consistently creating more avenues for ICT enabled learning in classrooms to ensure Guyanese students both in the Hinterland and the coast
Over the last year, several ICT hubs and smart classrooms have been established in schools in all regions, bringing the total internet-connected classrooms to over 200.