Caribbean News Now!

By Nerissa Golden

BRADES, Montserrat (GIU) -- Monday will be a series of first for Montserrat as it will see the launch of its National ICT Strategy, its first National ICT Day and Premier Reuben Meade presents the laptops for students programme.

The premier, who is an avid user and proponent for technology being used to create greater efficiency, will hand over the first laptop purchased for students at the Montserrat Secondary School during the official opening ceremony scheduled for Monday, September 17 at the Montserrat Cultural Centre.

In January of 2010, Meade agreed to be Montserrat’s champion for Information and Communication Technologies known most commonly as ICTs. In April of that year, Montserrat hosted the ICT Roadshow in collaboration with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU).

CTU was later contracted through the Ministry of Communications and Works to develop the government’s five-year National ICT Policy, Strategy and Implementation Plan. The plan articulates a vision, policies, strategies, programmes and projects for short to medium term, ICT-enabled national development.

On the heels of the Cabinet approving the new plan in June 2012, Monday, September 17 was selected as National ICT Day, and is intended to raise public awareness of the importance of ICTs, to highlight the concepts of the National ICT Plan and to engage local stakeholders as well as potential development and supplier partners to become involved in implementation of the plan.

Green, Connected, Thriving: Montserrat in a Digital World is the theme of the ICT Plan and ICT Day. On Monday, attendees will learn about the eLava concept of Environment, Learning, Access, Virtual Adoption which is a timeline and strategy of programmes which the government will be rolling out to advance the island’s education and economy with increased connectivity to the rest of the world. Several new eGovernment initiatives will also be revealed.

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