The Ministry of Education on Wednesday commissioned a computer-aided design (CAD) laboratory at Zeeburg Secondary School, completing the first phase of a programme to improve digital skills in industrial technology teaching. Six secondary schools have been fitted with air-conditioned rooms containing high-powered laptops, peripheral hardware and AutoCAD software. The total cost was GY$85 million, according to a Ministry of Education press release.

The six schools are Zeeburg, North Ruimveldt, Abram Zuil, Bygeval and Hope Secondary Schools, and New Amsterdam Multilateral School. The Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, spoke at the launch of the North Ruimveldt laboratory on Tuesday. The release does not give the dates on which the other four were opened. It also does not say how many workstations each school received. AutoCAD is software used to produce technical drawings on a computer. Unlike traditional drafting, it allows designs to be edited, tested and viewed in three dimensions before anything is built.

Dr Ritesh Tularam, the Deputy Chief Education Officer for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), spoke at the Zeeburg ceremony. He said technical education should go beyond learning to operate tools and equipment. He described the laboratory as a place where students can take an idea and turn it into a precise digital design that can be developed, tested and modified, and eventually built as a physical product or structure.

Ms Parag said at North Ruimveldt that the equipment is comparable to tools used internationally. She said students would no longer be doing technical drawing as it was once taught, and would instead use technology to create 3D designs. In her view, the training prepares them to contribute as architects and builders of national infrastructure. She also urged more girls to enter engineering and design. These are the minister's descriptions, and the release offers no evidence yet on how the training will affect careers or results.

The ministry says the laboratories support students preparing for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Industrial Technology examinations. Candidates in subjects such as Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing can now produce digital drawings, spatial models and structural plans on the workstations, where before they would have used drafting boards. The release does not say whether CXC accepts digitally produced work in its assessments, or whether examination papers will change to reflect the new equipment.

The programme sits within a wider policy. The ministry is working to expand TVET subjects across all secondary schools, with the stated hope that every pupil will leave school proficient in at least one technical or vocational skill. No timetable for that aim was given, and the release does not say how many secondary schools currently teach industrial technology or how many pupils are enrolled in TVET subjects.

Several practical points are unaddressed. The release does not state the cost for each school or the licence cost of AutoCAD, which is commercial software and is usually paid for by subscription. It does not say whether teachers have been trained to use it, who will maintain the laptops and air conditioning, or how many students will have regular access to the rooms. Nor does it describe what the second phase will involve, how many more schools it will cover or how it will be funded.

The next developments to watch are the scope and timing of the second phase and the number of schools it adds. Results in CXC Industrial Technology subjects in the coming years will show whether the new laboratories change what students achieve.

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