The country’s educational system is expecting to see some major technological changes this year as the Ministry of Education yesterday joined forces with Cable Bahamas and Sam’s Business Machines to commence the second installment of the  Ministry’s technology upgrades on the islands of Grand Bahama and Eleuthera. 

The  Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd said that this is essential in a rapidly advancing digital universe for “effective, productive, and efficient living” in a globally competitive society.  

This contract signing is a continuation of phase one’s fiber optic infrastructural upgrades which started back in September last year with the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC). 

The companies will provide improvements to 172 schools, 60 satellite offices, 60,000 students, and 4,000 teachers.

According to the Minister, phase one’s timeline is expected to take one year, and phase two, a Comprehensive Education Management Information System (commonly known as EMIS), will begin shortly after.

This phase will tackle the management of the student enrolment process, electronic parent notifications, administration and reporting tools, school administration tools, teacher tools, and guidance counselors and intervention specialist information. 

To complete phase one, the Ministry of Education will be paying BTC $100,000 per month, which is $1.2 million annually.

Cable Bahamas will receive $62,471.37 in addition to the $89,920 in installation costs, giving them an annual cost $749,646.44.

 Sam’s Business Machines yesterday signed a $1.9 million contract equipping students and teacher with brand new laptops and tablets.