17 November 2020, Burnaby, Canada – The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has supported The Bahamas to build education resilience in the face of disasters by offering tools and resources to create “classrooms without walls.” Educators and learners can now access digital content for free with the help of 300 tablets and 30 Aptus devices recently delivered to the Ministry of Education for use by the schools that are still grappling with the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.
A special online ceremony, with participation of The Honourable Jeffrey Lloyd, Minister of Education, and COL President and CEO Professor Asha Kanwar, will mark a symbolic handover of these tools and resources.
19 November 2020
12 pm – 12:20 pm (EST)
THE EVENT WILL BE STREAMED LIVE
“This donation of technology equipment is very timely and appropriate in light of the Ministry’s thrust to deliver education through a virtual platform to mitigate any and all disruptions to education in The Bahamas. COVID-19 has propelled with a greater sense of urgency the use technology to facilitate education in our archipelagic nation,” noted The Honourable Jeffrey Lloyd.
Professor Kanwar said: “Unfortunately, we have not seen the last of these disasters and need to be prepared for future disruptions. We need resilience. COL stands ready to work with The Bahamas to make its education system more resilient to shocks and upheavals of all kinds in the future.”
Developed by COL, Aptus is a low-cost, off-grid, easy-to-use device that allows learning to continue without the need for grid electricity or Internet access. Thousands of books and videos can be uploaded on the device, and COL has pre-loaded a variety of content that specifically addresses The Bahamas curriculum. COL has also prepared a set of training videos on how to use and maintain these devices.
ABOUT COL:
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) was created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to promote the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources and technologies.
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For more information, please contact:
Natalia Angheli-Zaicenco
COL Stakeholder Relations Manager
nzaicenco@col.org
