 The government of St. Lucia continues to make strides towards providing the nation's children with a world-class education. Thousands of learning devices have already been distributed to aid students as they continue their schooling via an online multi-medium platform. As students revert to the virtual classroom setting, thousands more are to be distributed. Details in this report. The government of St. Lucia continues to stead a course to achieving a globally competitive education as 5,000 e-books and Mi5 devices were officially handed over to the Ministry of Education. The devices which are equipped with learning tools and content aligned with upper and lower school curriculum were procured and donated by the Joint Efforts of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, NTRC, through the Universal Service Fund, USF, and the Office of the Prime Minister. At the handing over ceremony on Wednesday 3 February 2021, Prime Minister Hon. Anand Shaste said that these devices serve as a major thrust to bridging the digital divide and holistically improving the education system. We've had a vision and a passion to make sure that we can equip our young persons to be competitive on a global basis. Smart St. Lucia is a major objective of this government. And what is it? It's laying down the infrastructure to facilitate us interacting on a competitive basis globally. We've understood because of climate change that we have to embed resilience in everything that we do. The new roads with proper drains and proper sidewalks. The new schools with backup generators and water storage tank facilities. The new healthcare centers that are also equipped with backup generators and refrigerators. So in case you are cut off in a community that we can store medicine, this is the foresight of building a smart country. The eBooks will add value to the learning experiences of students as the devices are equipped with content for 16 CSEC subjects. Exciting interactive learning tools and platforms which will ensure that students have equitable access to content for teachers. It will allow them to engage in differentiated instruction and assessment for different groups of students. Also bring in ease to grading and data collection. It will allow them to conduct labs repeatedly without exhausting resources. Parents also benefit as less textbooks will have to be purchased in the long run. Minister for Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development, Honourable Dr. Gail Rigabet echoed the sentiments of the Prime Minister and expressed that upon assuming office, the hashtag Educate St. Lucia Initiative was conceptualized and had ICT integration in the education system as one of the main pillars of action. Another component was what we dubbed digital competency. And by that we mean ensuring that there is sufficient training for teachers and students to allow for them to better leverage the technology, not only the hardware but also software and other learning platforms that can enhance the learning and teaching experience. It is that comprehensive integration of ICT in education or e-education that has informed and undergirded the policy thrust of the ministry. The LearnBook devices were supplied by Fortuna Picks Inc. and the MiFi devices by Digital Limited St. Lucia. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the distribution and will commence this week with form 4s, with the form 3s and form 2s to receive shortly after. Partnerships with international agencies will result in the donation of tablets to primary school students in the coming weeks. Reporting for the Office of the Prime Minister, I am Danielle Dubois.