Isidro Fernandez Abali, UNESCO adviser for communication and information, said that the move was in recognition of the increased importance of ICT to the education process. He was speaking on Monday at the opening of the fourth biennial International Conference and Exposition on Technology in Education and Training (EduVision 2009) in Montego Bay, St James.

He expressed the view that traditional educational practices no longer offer students the necessary skills to fully participate in their own society.

According to Abali, today's teachers needed to acquire competencies, supported by technology, which would allow them to offer their students better learning opportunities.

Abali added that education helped to break down social and cultural barriers and endowed every individual with the knowledge, respect and confidence to be engaged with their families, in communities and the nation as responsible citizens.