Cable & Wireless Seychelles launches first IT Hub at National Library
In a significant step towards advancing digital literacy and innovation in Seychelles, Cable and Wireless Seychelles (CWS) inaugurated the country’s first state-of-the-art IT Hub at the Seychelles National Library yesterday.
The IT Hub, a collaboration between CWS and the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts, is equipped with the latest digital tools, including tablets and Idea hubs an interactive display essential for modern education. Designed to empower students and educators, the hub aims to provide the necessary resources to enhance digital skills and foster a culture of innovation.
Speaking to Seychelles NATION, infrastructure engineer, Ryan Coralie, explained the technical process behind the hub, noting that it is all wireless and only requires an internet connection.
“Even if you are using a computer, you are sending an email back and forth and the computer is not connected to anything, whereas with the IT hub is connected to the same system. It is not just the hardware; it is the software as well.” This allows a classroom to share files and notes with everyone in the class. Finished work can also be submitted as a document and it is sent to the lecturer, interacted with and sent back and forth without any involvement of email. “It can be done easily to a single system that you do not need to fiddle with.”
The teacher also gains complete flexibility over the student as there is a dual split screen with the main screen and the students on their tablets. The teacher can control all of these tablets from their screen and send communications and pick out children from the software itself directly, without getting up. The student can also share their screen with the teacher. The hub also allows statistics to be collected for data purposes for things such as multiple choice collections. ‘Overtime, you will actually find a lot of data over what sort of topics the students are struggling with.”
Chief executive of CWS, Georges D’Offay, expressed his enthusiasm for the project, noting, “We are delighted to contribute to the educational advancement of our community by making digital resources more accessible. This facility is designed to inspire and equip our youth with the skills necessary for a successful future.”
The launch event featured a live broadcast by local broadcaster TeleSesel, ensuring that students from surrounding schools could join in the celebration virtually, thus promoting inclusivity and a shared educational experience.
Notable attendees included educators, students, and various dignitaries who witnessed a symbolic handover of a gadget pack from CWS director of Marketing, Jean Hassan, to Anne-Mary Robert, principal librarian of the Seychelles National Library.
In her remarks, Cecile Kalebi, permanent secretary at the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts, highlighted the transformative potential of integrating ICT into library services. ‘%y opening up a world of possibilities through ICT, we invite all ICT teachers to engage with the National Library to discuss how we can use this facility to offer ICT classes for our youths,” she stated.
A student representative, Alanna Commetant from the English River secondary school, praised the hub for its potential to make learning more engaging and enjoyable. “This is an incredible facility that offers us an opportunity to deepen our interest in ICT, potentially inspiring careers in this promising industry,” she said.
The event concluded with a tour of the new facilities, led by IT personnel from CWS and the National Library, showcasing the advanced technology and resources now available to the community.
This initiative by Cable and Wireless Seychelles represents a significant investment in the country’s digital economy and is a step forward in transforming Seychelles into a connected and informed society.
Courtesy: Nation.sc