Tertiary institutions get $430m ICT development help
KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Universal Service Fund (USF) has provided nearly $430 million in information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure development support for several tertiary institutions over the past four years.
Chief Executive Officer, Dr Hugh Cross, says this entailed the installation of broadband Internet service and state-of-the-art equipment, among other key inputs.
He says that the University of the West Indies was the most notable beneficiary, having received approximately $200 million in funding support.
This, he says, enabled the administration to undertake work at the institution’s 10 Open Campuses islandwide and the main campus at Mona in St Andrew.
Dr Cross points out that $115 million was spent to upgrade the Open Campuses’ ICT infrastructure, which significantly enhanced student programme delivery through distance learning.
These campuses are located at Camp Road, Kingston, May Pen, Clarendon, Mandeville, Manchester, Junction, St Elizabeth; Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, Montego Bay, St James, Ocho Rios and Brown’s Town, St Ann, Port Antonio, Portland, and Morant Bay, St Thomas.
Cross says the transformation of the open campuses into world-class facilities has improved the delivery of academic programmes at these locations, making it easier for students living outside of Kingston to access them.
The CEO say that UWI also received $85.86 million for campus-wide wireless Internet service installation at Mona, which can be accessed by students, faculty members and visitors. He points out that the same obtains at the open campuses.
“We also ensured that there was a spillover beyond the walls of the UWI, so that persons who are on the outside would also be able to have access to the Internet,” he said.
Cross adds that $144 million was allocated for the provision of new state-of-the-art simulators at the Caribbean Maritime Institute’s (CMI) main campus at Palisadoes Park in Kingston.
He notes that the CMI was facing the prospect of decertification by the International Maritime Organization, because some of their key equipment, primarily simulators, which are critical to the academic programme were deemed outdated.
