LIME has partnered with worldwide learning companies Pearson International and FableVision to bring an online educational programme?to the Caribbean.
The animated programme is called Infinity Island and forms part of the Learning On LIME initiative. It features five regional children involved in a reality show where they have to solve mathematics-based problems.
LIME’s country manager Alex McDonald said children had a different view on learning, and technology had to be utilized to keep them interested.
“Children today expect learning to be anywhere and everywhere and in the way they want it, so we can decide as a nation to either stay with what we have always done or to change.
“We have to have Caribbean answers for it is only from us that these answers can come. Those in the ministry know the great challenge is relevance.
“If a child can’t understand something, he will not get past that to learn and this [programme] represents that attempt to bridge the digital divide,” he explained.
Pearson vice-president Bill Hrabrick said Infinity Island was set up to help Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination students by utilizing advanced technology.
He said it was his company’s first collaboration with LIME but they were impressed with LIME’s commitment to education and resolution to make the programme a success.
However, it was still unknown when and how often the programme will be rolled out. Regional head of sponsorship Sheldon Keens-Douglas said it was still a matter of getting funding.
“We are still to get feedback from our partners to identify the number of episodes although there should be around eight to ten half-hour-long episodes which may be partly animated and partly real action,” he said.
Keens-Douglas said there was no confirmed date when the online programme would begin as it had taken 18 months to prepare the pilot episode.