On Tuesday, November 24, Minister of State Pierre Dartout personally completed the distribution to all schoolchildren in the Principality of 1,200 personal laptops loaded with all the textbooks and software chosen by teachers.

Monaco’s ‘Digital College’ responds to three challenges, Mr Dartout said. It comprises an educational challenge by promoting the educational creativity of the teacher and a better student learning response; during the coronavirus pandemic it facilitates continuity outside the classroom; finally it addresses a generational need to facilitates the training of the talents of tomorrow that the country needs.

Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario added that “parents, teachers and students have been involved in the process since the start of the project so that their needs are met and fully taken into account.

Frédéric Genta, Monaco’s Chief Digital Officer, said the digital learning mode enriches students’ approach to a multitude of subjects, such as modern languages, by dubbing a film for example, a story to be discovered via online quizzes, French through collaborative work writing and audiovisual illustration or geography by browsing sites in 3D. But the added value will come in the acquisition of digital skills for the 21st century, he said.

Isabelle Bonnal, Director of Education, underlined the central role of teaching at the heart of the digital transition of education: “Thanks to the equipment of secondary school pupils, we are entering concretely into the era of augmented education. It will be possible to capitalise on our strengths while developing new ways of learning,” she said.

ORIGINAL SOURCE & PHOTO: Monaco Government Press Office