A series of technologically advanced classrooms, designed to benefit thousands of students and educators in schools across the Caribbean, is being launched following a commitment from international telecommunications company Samsung to the Organization of American States (OAS) and Virtual Educa.

The initiative follows the lead taken by the government of Trinidad and Tobago and its Ministry of Education to establish "smart" classrooms in partnership with domestic and international information and communication technology (ICT) partners.

According to the Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, who was in Trinidad and Tobago to launch the 2nd Edition of Virtual Educa Caribbean, "What Trinidad & Tobago is doing is commendable. They have sourced partnerships with the private sector, they have been persistent with their follow up and execution, and now they are sharing their experiences and best practices with neighbors in the region. This is a practical model, and the OAS and Virtual Educa support this initiative."

More than 16,000 students and educators attended the two-day event. Addressing stakeholders at the opening ceremony of the event, the senior OAS official said he was pleased to note that education continued to be a priority in the Caribbean, and called on stakeholders across the political divide to continue to work together to ensure the education system produced "analytical, critical and creative thinkers, able to compete with counterparts from around the world." The long standing diplomat also called for more "effective and practical methods to assess student progress," saying that "coping mechanisms have become critical in today's high pressure environment."

Ramdin also suggested the consideration of specific Caribbean Development Goals and more collaboration at the Inter-American level to effectively pool, assess, recommend and source assistance for education projects, through a specialized agency.

During his visit Assistant Secretary General Ramdin held meetings with Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Foreign Minister Winston Dookeran and Planning Minister Bhoe Tewarie.

Trinidad and Tobago will also work with the OAS to host the Americas Competitiveness Forum in October 2014. The event will feature the participation of business leaders from around the world and government representatives from across the Hemisphere.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at http://www.oas.org.