Government fulfills major commitment to Grenadian students

ST. GEORGE’S, APRIL 2, 2012 - A major commitment by Prime Minister Hon. Tillman Thomas to the people of St. Patrick and Carriacou will be fulfilled on Wednesday 4^th April, 2012, when the T. A. Marryshow Community College launches its video conference facility to three campus locations.

The new facility is a contribution by the board of the Caribbean Knowledge and Learning Network (CKLN) to the government and people of Grenada that will propel in a new era of how education is delivered to TAMCC students living in St. Patrick and Grenada. This network will allow students at the St. Patrick and Carriacou Campuses of the TAMCC to participate in classes and interact with teachers at the Tanteen Campus of the College in real time.

The Prime Minister said that the video conference facility is a very important development for the people of northern Grenada and Carriacou, “because it means that they will save on transport and other expenses they would have to undertake if they had to commute every day. This is especially important for the parents and young people of Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” the Prime Minister said.

The funding for this project, worth EC$393,228, is provided by the European Union as part of the Euro10.00 million grant to the Caribbean for developing a regional network called C@ribNET, connecting all CARICOM member States.

The development is a culmination of a consistent campaign by the Prime Minister and his administration to utilize Information Communication Technology (ICT) to provide education and other government services to the Grenadian public “wherever they live”.

“I am excited that this project has finally come on stream and I look forward to the expansion of services offered by the TAMCC at the Sauteur’s and Hillsborough locations,” the Prime Minister said Friday.

The launch programme will utilize the technology with audiences, including the Prime Minister and Minister for Education, Sen. Franka Alexis-Bernardine in St. Patrick, while the Minister for Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs, Sen. George Prime will be in Hillsborough.

“This contribution of the connectivity and the provision of the equipment for this video conferencing service to Grenada is quite appropriate”, said Mr. Ken Sylvester, CEO of CKLN, as the CKLN is headquartered in St. Georges and has benefited from the hospitality and support of the Grenada government.

SOURCE: Office of the Prime Minister