S.I.F. & Ministry of Education Hand Over Laptops to Sadie Vernon High

The Belize Social Investment Fund, through funding from the Caribbean Development Bank, acquired two hundred and sixty Dell laptops. The institution has partnered with the Ministry of Education to hand over these electronic devices to improve the learning experience within the classrooms. Today, Sadie Vernon Technical High School was a beneficiary as part of a wider initiative by M.O.E.  News Five’s Duane Moody attended the brief ceremony and files this report.

Duane Moody, Reporting

It is part of an initiative from the Ministry of Education to equip four south side high schools with laptops to support virtual/hybrid learning within the institution. And today, Sadie Vernon Technical High School was the recipient of laptops from the Belize Social Investment Fund.

Yolanda Gongora

Yolanda Gongora, Chief Education Officer

“It is five high schools. We chose four high schools from the south side, which is Maud Williams High School, Sadie Vernon High School, Excelsior High School, Gwen Lizarraga High School, Belize Rural High School and we chose a school in the south which is a new high school, Bella Vista Secondary School. Sorry Excelsior isn’t a part of this one.”

Carlos Tun, Executive Director, Belize Social Investment Fund

“Technology has changed the way of learning and teaching. The government, educational institutions and organizations like the Belize Social Investment Fund have had to evolve in the times and technology. Our students and teachers are forced to keep up with the changes by learning how to access information, how to fully utilize the worldwide web and how to apply these skills in everyday life.”

So how will the laptops be used at the institution?

Deborah Martin

Deborah Martin, Principal, Sadie Vernon Technical High School

“How they will be used. Definitely to be in our computer labs because currently we have outdated machines that are moving quite slow. And so my students will benefit definitely from our two labs to use them in that. So, that’s the plan. We do technology-connected lessons so with that, they will be able to use it not only for the business subjects and the subjects that are like information technology or the computer literacy courses.”

Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora says that aside from the donated equipment, there is a level of improving the virtual learning experience for students.

Yolanda Gongora

“The hybrid in some of the schools may have to continue because of this space, the size of the classrooms, but in order for them to be able to provide that for the students, we would have to provide device for the students at home. We are also looking and having conversation with Digi in order for us to upgrade some of the schools. So what is happening right now, they are going to the individual schools to review the infrastructure where the internet is going and working on the areas that need to be, for example if you are getting five hundred ensuring that the entire campus is spread out in that area.”

Duane Moody for News Five.