Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, the minister of education, says the Government has forged a partnership with Elon Musk’s satellite Internet provider Starlink to connect rural public schools with high-speed Internet services.

Addressing Tuesday’s opening session of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association’s Education Conference, Morris Dixon said this is part of the ministry’s push to improve Internet services in public schools.

“We also had a problem with many of our rural schools, where it was hard to get the technology in, and so what we’ve done is to partner with Starlink so that we can use satellite technology to deliver the Internet to schools in rural areas,” Morris Dixon said.

According to the minister, several rural schools have already received satellite Internet services under the partnership and more will be connected throughout the course of this fiscal year.

“I know many of you have broadband in your schools and it’s not fast enough or not working. So we have done a procurement to get significantly more equipment and also bandwidth for the schools because, ultimately, the goal is to be able to have Wi-Fi across the entire school campus,” she said.

She also encouraged teachers and school administrators to make use of the access to technological equipment .

“To embrace technology, we must make sure it’s accessible. Technology must be embedded across the entire education system, and that’s why we have launched a national effort to modernise our infrastructure,” she noted.

The education minister said more than 15,000 laptops and tablets, and 900 smart boards are being distributed to schools this year. She added that some 25,000 vouchers have already been distributed to teachers, to help subsidise the purchase of their own devices in the technology push.

“We believe technology is an accelerator of teaching. The teacher remains central to the classroom experience, but the tools we provide can and must amplify the teacher’s impact,” she told the educators.

Morris Dixon said that technology enables more inclusive, efficient, and effective learning.

“It allows us to personalise education, expand access, and reduce inequalities. It gives every child – regardless of background – the chance to explore, to build, and to thrive,” the minister said.

She pointed out•that artificial intelligence is one of the emerging enablers of education and that her ministry is embracing it fully.

“AI is not a future possibility, it is a present reality. Our children are ahead of us. Jamaica has responded boldly. We established the National Artificial Intelligence Task Force and became one of the first countries in the world to develop a policy for AI in education,” Morris Dixon said.