 The government of Taiwan has provided some 2.5 million EC dollars towards a project aimed at retrofitting existing classrooms to become smart classrooms, reflecting the integration of information and communications technologies into the education system in St. Lucia. The smart classrooms last Wednesday was launched at the Patricia D. James Secondary School. The Department of Education aims to equip all schools with smart classrooms so that the students can begin to experience 21st century learning and teaching. Peter Luise is the acting principal at the Patricia D. James Secondary School. The aim of every school is to nurture smart citizens. And what better way to achieve this objective by creating a smart classroom environment? As we are aware that smart classrooms are technology enhanced classrooms that fosters opportunities for teaching and learning by integrating learning technologies such as computers, specialized software, audience response technology, assistive listening devices, networking, and audio-visual capabilities. With the COVID-19 virus which now confronts us, the use of technology has taken front stage in the teaching learning process. Permanent Secretary in the Department of Education, Innovation and Generations, Michelle Charles, expressed gratitude to the government of Taiwan for its continued investment in St. Lucia. Because every time I get called to one of these launches of our smart classrooms, I realize that we're closer to achieving our goals at the Ministry of Education. The goal of integrating technology into education. For us, occasions such as these really show that we are moving in the right direction and these actions are well aligned with the vision of the ministry in that matter. Of course at the Ministry of Education we have a broader ecosystem of e-education and this is just one component of it. But every time it happens, I recognize that we are definitely doing the right things for our students and for our teachers. And I mention the teachers because the environment in which we're working is changing. It's not education or instruction as we knew it before. And sometimes we find persons among us who are a bit averse to embracing the technology. But when we move forward, when we provide the devices and the necessary infrastructure that teachers can use, it shows that the ministry is really prepared to help them move in the right direction. Ambassador of the Republic of China Taiwan to St. Lucia, his Excellency Peter Shen, highlighted the significance of ICT in education. ICT in education project is a significant initiative implemented by the government of Taiwan and St. Lucia to build smart classroom in St. Lucia and empower teachers and students by embedding ICT into teaching and learning experiences. There are many development priorities for our country but education is of the paramount importance. Dr. Fiona Philip-Maya is the Chief Education Officer in the Department of Education, Innovation and Gender Relations. It is a tool that we cannot move away from that our students need in order to function as global citizens. So I do not want us to only think of it as a gift and to think of it as a necessity. And because the necessity we appreciate it, we are grateful for it and so we are going to use it effectively, use it respectfully and ensure that it comes back to add value to the lives of the students entrusted into our care at the Patricia D. James Secondary School. Smart classroom equipment was presented to the Patricia D. James Secondary School last week.