Government of Aruba announced a first of its kind eLearning Pilot Project

April 2019, Aruba – The Government of Aruba has announced a first of its kind eLearning Pilot Project. Cacique Macuarima elementary school in the heart of Santa Cruz was chosen as the first school for this eLearning Pilot Project. As part of this project, the elementary school will receive e-boards, computers, and VR goggles for the entire school. This project supports key objectives of Aruba’s National Education Plan 2030 (PEN) and will be designed and implemented in consultation with key education stakeholders. This eLearning pilot project is a collaboration between Futura Lab and key innovation and education stakeholders on the island, and will help build necessary momentum for the PEN.

The Cacique Macuarima (and its sister kindergarten school Aterima, jointly “CMA”) schools are known for having energetic and proactive teachers, as well as a very active parents committee. Together they identified innovation opportunities and are eager to collaborate towards e-Learning, the incorporation of more STEM in the school’s curriculum, and the development of 21st century skills. The goal of this pilot project is to digitize the CMA classrooms and equip the school and teachers with the right tools to enable CMA to expand its digital education offering and STEM curriculum.

CMA elementary school students, across all grades, are currently attending a one-hour IT class every week. With the acquisition of the new equipment, CMA is eager to expand the use of the computer room and incorporate additional IT and STEM subjects in its curriculum. The pilot project is an excellent opportunity to test out new teaching materials in a small setting. The learnings from this project can be applied when rolling out similar projects at other schools in Aruba.