Britannica Digital Learning (UK) partners with Ministry of Education |05 April 2023

The session yesterday at the Au Cap primary school

Digital learning gets big boost

By Vidya Gappy

Digital learning in schools is expected to get a big boost with the arrival in the country of two specialists from Britannica Digital Learning (UK) to provide teachers and learners the necessary skills and knowledge to access digital resources on the Britannica School platform.

The Ministry of Education has been implementing various projects with the aim to support the integration of Information and Communication Technology and Open Educational Resources in teaching, learning and policy development.

Last year, the ministry in collaboration with Britannica Digital Learning (UK), started a pilot project to see how to use Britannica School platform for primary pupils and secondary students.

This week, Luke Saunders, senior business development manager and team leader, and Emma Stout, teacher training specialist from Britannica are in Seychelles to officially launch the partnership with the Ministry of Education.

They are organising a series of training workshops from Monday to Thursday this week with the aim of providing teachers and learners the necessary skills and knowledge to access digital resources on Britannica School, which will enhance teaching and learning, as well as promote pedagogical innovation.

The media was able to attend a session yesterday at the Au Cap primary school where the pupils were initiated with the Britannica School platform and they also received a certificate for their involvement.

“Our visit is mainly to see how Britannica is being implemented in the respective schools and give the necessary support for the teachers to access the platform and see what can be provided to enable the smooth implementation of the project. Britannica School is a safe, up-to-date, and age-appropriate information resource for elementary, middle, and high school. The students will be able to discover encyclopedia articles, multimedia, primary sources, games, and other learning resources that support student research and reinforce curriculum standards,” explained Mr Saunders.

The team will visit all schools on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue and will also work with the private schools.

Daniella Marie, senior education officer at the MoE, shared that the discussions with Britannica School started three years ago and it was only last year that the Ministry of Education accepted for them to undertake a pilot project in Seychelles.

“Mr Saunders came last July and met with different teachers and they all agreed on the programme. Now the ministry has agreed to have a contract with Britannica for the next three years. The MoE has a fee to pay to access the platform and all students from primary and secondary schools will have access to the platform and even the parents will have access to it,” said Ms Marie.

Ms Marie further added that the Britannica platform is a safe way for children to access materials of their age and not end up on different sites.

P5(1) student Chloé Mambé took part in the training session at the Au Cap school and shared that it was fun and they were able to do some research on the platform.

“We also learned about the games and how to make videos,” said Chloé.

Heeroy Joseph, a pupil from P6(1) also found the session interesting, especially how they can do in depth research for their lessons.

The students came from the following schools – Au Cap, Baie Lazare, Anse Royale primary, Takamaka and Anse Boileau primary.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Louis Toussaint