The government has approved a nationwide upgrade to deliver high-speed fibre-optic internet to every public primary school by December 31, after a multi-agency assessment found that most campuses were operating with severely inadequate bandwidth.
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said Cabinet endorsed the plan following findings from the Public Schools Wireless Project Report, which showed many primary schools functioning at just 15 to 20 megabits per second—far below the 50 to 100 Mbps minimum required to support the Digital OECS Harmonized Primary Curriculum and other e-learning platforms.
Merchant said the upgrade is essential for 21st-century learning and will directly support the shift toward e-testing and blended digital instruction.
“Reliable high-speed internet is critical for digital learning platforms, facilitating e-testing and blended learning environments,” Merchant said during the post-Cabinet briefing.
The rollout will include the completion of fibre installation at all remaining primary schools, minimum bandwidth increases for every institution, and prioritised upgrades for secondary schools in the next phase to improve e-testing readiness.
Telecommunications Minister Melford Nicholas was present during the meeting and gave what Merchant described as his “full support,” committing his ministry’s technical resources to ensure the upgrades are completed on schedule.
Merchant said the initiative will require mobilising additional financial and technical resources but noted that the project is already underway and remains a top priority as the academic system moves toward increasingly digital delivery.
Cabinet officials said the government expects the improved connectivity to strengthen teaching outcomes, reduce disruptions caused by poor internet access, and modernise the country’s education infrastructure ahead of expanded digital curriculum and examination requirements.
