Technology
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
1. Terminology
The 2002 Education Act (amended in 2012) defines “distance education” as “an educational process in which a significant proportion of the teaching is conducted through one or more media by persons removed in space or time from the learners” (Article 2).
Though no specific definition has been found for ICT, the 2001-2005 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan refers to the term throughout the whole document, while the 2020- 2035 Grenada National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) refers to “digital literacy”, “ICT education”, and “digital transformation”.
The 2001-2005 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan refers to the term “education technology” (EdTech), without providing a specific definition.
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
Constitution and laws: The 1973 Constitution (revised in 1992) refers to education in the context of the protection of liberty, stating that “No person shall be deprived of his liberty save as may be authorized by law in any of the following cases, that is to say: under the order of a court or with the consent of his parent or guardian, for his education or welfare during any period ending not later than the date when he attains the age of eighteen years” (Article 3) and in the context of religious education (Article 9). The Constitution does not mention technology.
According to the 2002 Education Act (amended in 2012) one of the objectives of the education system is to encourage the development of basic knowledge and skills in all persons, including but not limited to “an understanding of the role of science and technology in society and related skills” (Article 3). The Act additionally makes provisions for “distance learning and continuing education” at pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels (Article 118).
There is no ICT Act, although the 1982 Science and Technology Council Act No.28 aims to develop policy recommendations and coordinate projects on technology. However, it does not mention the integration of technology in education.
Policies, plans and strategies: There is no ICT in education policy or strategy, with technology in education objectives included as part of the government’s national information and technology strategy. The 2001-2005 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan puts ICT at the centre of Grenada’s sustainable development plans to achieve a knowledge-based society. It includes specific education and training objectives for the development of human capacity, distance learning, and ICT infrastructure. According to the strategy, the education and training system will “address the formation of a knowledge society trained to take full advantage of the benefits of ICT, produce a crop of information technology professionals, and promote lifelong education initiatives in partnership with the non-state sector”.
The 2020- 2035 Grenada National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP), published in 2019, puts great emphasis on the use of technology in the delivery of education, stating that “formal, non-formal, and informal education programmes must embrace technology as a tool to enhance learning, employability, entrepreneurship, and independence”. ICT is included as a priority area in education, with objectives to upgrade and/or replace existing systems to keep pace with technological advances in education; increase the use of more technology-focused activities that foster the development of 21st-century skills; and mainstream the use of digital resources and devices as standard pedagogical resources.
The UNDP document Vision of a Smart Small State (SSS) for Grenada leverages the digital transformation to support the country’s resilience and sustainability through the following two main pillars: 1) Digital Society: that concentrates on ICT infrastructure and 2) Digital Literacy: that focuses on the integration of digital tools in the everyday life accessible to all individuals.
According to the 2006-2015 National Strategic Plan for Educational Enhancement and Development SPEED II, “ICT is to be fully utilized to facilitate learning and develop the technological competencies of learners in the formal and non-formal sectors” through the provision of computer labs and programmes to facilitate learning and developing teachers’ digital skills.
The 2014- 2018 Grenada Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) similarly promoted the use of ICT in learning including the objective that all students leaving the school system acquire computer literacy and use information and communication technology easily.
The 2020-2035 National Sustainable Development Plan prioritizes people at the Center of Sustainable Development and Transformation that includes SDG4 with an aim to produce “Educated, Productive, Highly- Skilled, Trained, and Conscious Citizens”. The agenda includes developing projects to enhance school capacity in Information Communication Technology (ICT).
Grenada is additionally a member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) whose 2012–2021 Education Strategy included the integration of technology as a development key issue and a cross-cutting theme which aims to improve "achievement levels in the core subjects of literacy, numeracy and technology” and integrate “technology in the classroom and education”.
Digital competency frameworks: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), in which Grenada is a member state, launched the CARICOM Digital Skills Task Force in September 2021 to coordinate the strategy for fostering and utilizing Caribbean citizens' digital skills by determining “the elements of a Digital Skills Strategy for CARICOM” and identifying “core (skills competencies) which can be pursued at the primary, secondary, university and workforce levels and later lead to certification, including that of the Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ)”.
There isn‘t currently a national digital competency framework, but the 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP strategic actions state that the country intends to establish a technology institute and an institutional framework to support Grenada’s transition to a knowledge-based digital economy and society and to build its human capital.
Changes occurred as a result of COVID-19: School closures in Grenada were effective starting 16 March 2020. The 2020 OECS Education Sector Response and Recovery Strategy to COVID-19, aligned with the OECS Growth and Development Strategy, CARICOM Human Resource Development (HRD) Strategy 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), aimed to mobilize technical and financial support in the field of Education to be implemented on the national level of its 11 member countries, including Grenada, for 18 months.
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.2.1. Technology infrastructure and digital capacity of schools
Electricity: The 1994 Electricity Supply Act makes no reference to education institutions or the universal provision of electricity. The 2011 National Energy Policy similarly does not refer to increasing the electricity or energy efficiency of schools.
Computers and devices: According to the 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP, pre-programmed tablets, e-books and other digital resources (such as smart classrooms and virtual communities) must be part of the “modern education system” and be used as “ key pedagogical resources in the context of education for the 21st century”.
The 2001-05 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan aimed to provide computer labs in all schools and some classrooms, while additionally including objectives to provide all teachers with a personal computer.
Internet connectivity: The 2009 Telecommunications (Universal Service Fund) Regulations SRO 21, which are based on the 2000 Telecommunications Act No.31, aim to provide “Universal Access” to internet and broadband infrastructure and services to schools, hospitals, underserved communities, and disabled persons. According to the 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP “all schools are equipped with increase bandwidth and have high-speed internet access.”
The 2001-05 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan similarly promoted the universal uptake of the internet, aiming to provide unrestricted internet access to all sites in Grenada. This included the implementation of widespread internet access to all schools and the provision of personal computers with internet access to all teachers.
2.2.2. Technology and learning environments
The 2002 Education Act (amended in 2012) includes provisions for distance learning programs at pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels which are regulated by the Minister of Education (Article 118). Distance learning objectives were also included as part of the 2001-2005 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan, which supported the development of distance teaching and learning at a “higher quality” and with “interactivity".
The 2020 OECS Education Sector Response and Recovery Strategy to COVID-19 had four primary focus areas that include the harmonization of the COVID-19 response amongst all member states, the transition to a digital education system, the care of students in and out of school, and the encouragement of engagement of all parties involved in the process of education including parents. The policy plan documented Grenada’s provision, during COVID-19, of online tutorials to students with visual or auditory impairments. It also noted that the government has a “book scheme for children who are identified by the schools as coming from disadvantaged backgrounds". In addition, the M-Star Learning Support Platform was created for all public schools in Grenada to support physical, blended and online learning.
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
2.3.1. Learners
The 2002 Education Act encourages the development of basic knowledge and skills in all persons, including but not limited to literacy, numeracy, mathematics, analysis, problem-solving, information processing and computing skills (Article 3).
The 2001-05 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan promotes the development of digital literacy in schools and aims to restructure the teaching and learning framework to strengthen the curriculum in terms of integrating ICT and promoting initiatives for e-literacy in schools. The government prioritises certain skills in the “new economy”, including e-literacy skills, internet skills, keyboard skills, and programming. The 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP similarly recognises the necessity for the curricula to prepare students not only for the “world of work”, but also prepare them for “the world.” It aims to improve the educational curricula to render them more appropriate for the 21st-century skills at the secondary levels, stating that “the curricula should equip students with skills that constitute the foundation for sustainable development” and it should include “ ICT, foreign languages, visual and performing arts, sustainability practices and resilience building.” The plan specifically promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, communication skills, cognitive skills, and interpersonal skills among students, in addition to embedding values such as honesty, loyalty, self-esteem, self-confidence, ethical conduct, productivity, responsibility, and conflict resolution.
According to the 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP, the core curriculum consists of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects at both the primary and secondary levels, with no specific gender dimension or strategy. One of the 2020- 2035 NSDP strategic actions, however, includes addressing gender disparities in education and revising the curricula and culture in schools to promote gender equality. There is also no specific objective to increase the participation of women in STEM subjects in the 2014-24 Gender Equality Policy and Action Plan.
2.3.2. Teachers
The 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP focuses on enhancing teacher capacity to integrate ICT in the delivery of the curriculum and as an information source for curriculum content. Strategic actions for the national outcomes aim to develop “a framework for national qualification” in education and “expand training and build national capacity in digital literacy”. The Plan also aims to implement comprehensive professional development programmes for teachers and administrators using online resources in partnership with other academic institutions strategically to provide them with obligatory initial training before joining the school.
As for in-service training, the 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP states that the Grenada Teachers Union has conducted over five-yearly periodic training in ICT for teachers, exposing teachers at all levels to innovative ways to use technology, both as an information source for teaching activities and as a teaching technique by way of professional development. Furthermore, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission Global Digital Library oversees teacher capacity building and professional development as well as learning resources for schools in all member states.
The 2001-05 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan similarly aimed to train all teachers in the use of ICT and its integration into the curriculum for teaching and learning.
2.4. Cybersecurity and safety
2.4.1. Data privacy
In March 2023, the Grenada House of Representatives introduced the 2023 Data Protection Bill which aims to establish a comprehensive data protection framework in Grenada. There is no explicit reference to schools, but the Act states that it “applies to a person who processes or who has control over or authorises the processing of any personal data in respect of commercial transactions in Grenada”.
The 2001-05 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan aimed for legislation to make provision for the protection of personal data.
The “Get Safe Online Grenada“ platform, based on the Get Safe Online general website, is funded through the UK Commonwealth Cyber Security Programme in partnership with Grenada’s government. The website contains a special section for “Data Privacy” but in a general context rather than in a school-specific context.
No information was found in the context of schools.
2.4.2. Online abuse and cyberbullying
The Get Safe Online Grenada platforms include a “Safeguarding Children” section in several contexts including cyberbullying, cyberstalking as well as copying and cheating for homework.
No information was found in the context of schools.
The 2020- 2035 Grenada NSDP aims to strengthen institutional responses to prevent the violence, abuse, and exploitation of children, although there is no specific mention of online abuse or bullying.
3. Governance
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
The Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports & Culture and the Ministry of Finance, Planning, Economic, and Physical Development are the main institutions in charge of all activities in the education sector.
The 2001-2005 Information and Technology Strategy and Action Plan aimed to establish an Educational Technology Task Force to complete the development of a holistic ICT plan for education and commence its implementation. and a Technology Evaluation and Procurement Council to interface between the government and the vendors of technology systems in the ICT sector.
3.2. Roles of schools
No regulations on the roles of schools, including their management of digital devices or mobile phones, have been found.
