A total of 74 TVET administrators, policy makers, academic professionals and experts gained insights on applicability, effectiveness and cost-efficiency of ICT in the context of TVET during the National Seminar on ICT for Education and Training held on April 25, 2013 in Suva, Fiji. The seminar, jointly organized by the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education (CPSC) and the TVET Section, Ministry of Education, Government of Fiji, was held in conjunction with the In-Country Program on Web-Based Teaching and Learning System conducted from April 22-26, 2013. 

CPSC Director General Dr. Mohammad Naim Yaakub, welcomed all the participants and guests of the seminar as well as some officials from Fiji’s Ministry of Education which include: Mr. Jai Narayan, Director of Secondary Education; Principal Education Officer of Secondary Curriculum, Ms. Luisiana Fotofili and Principal Education Officer of TEVT, Mr. Tomasi Naborisi and other officers from the Public Services Commission of Fiji. Dr. Naim expressed that it gives him immense pleasure to jointly conduct the program with the education authorities of the country. He also shared with member country Fiji that the CPSC Corplan 2013-2018 is on its way to be finalized and fully operational, with focus on new major advocacies on inclusiveness and innovation and continued emphasis on equally important thrusts like ICT in TVET. He further said that ICT should be utilized appropriately and contextualized according to the needs and conditions of the country to make it cost effective and truly beneficial for the country.

The broad themes of the seminar included: Shaping the Future of Education and Training with ICT: Current Developments and Future Challenges; ICT Policy and Strategy in Teaching and Learning and Innovative Model and Best Practices of ICT in the Region.

The seminar successfully achieved its objectives of sharing insights on the latest and innovative teaching and learning practices to enhance student development; providing a platform for imparting ideas and exchange of best practices and experiences on ICT-pedagogy integration; and facilitating dialogue among key players on identifying effective and innovative use of ICT in education. The vibrant and lively dialogue during the seminar had increased the mutual understanding of real issues between policymakers and implementers, thus paving the way to solving problems that plagued a more widespread use of ICT in the education sector. 

Key speakers and experts such as Mr. Vilitati Togavou, Education Officer, E-Learning, TVET, Ministry of Education, Fiji; Mr. Moape Qiolevu, Principal Systems Engineer, P3MO & Compliance; and Dr. Bibhya Nand Sharma, Senior Lecturer, FSTE Associate Dean-Learning and Teaching shared their insights and expertise on the broad themes mentioned.

National Seminar’s participants listen to DG Dr.Naim’sWelcome remarks.

Dr.BibhyaNand Sharma,Senior Lecturer,
FSTE Associate Dean-Learning and Teachingdeliversa presentation during the seminar.