The Media Resource Department (MRD), formerly known as the Audio Visual Aids Department, of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development is moving ahead with innovative ways to better educate youth in Barbados.

Acting Chief Audio Visual Aids Officer, Walter Harper, made this assertion recently at the launch of a music video entitled, "Time and Place: Speak Appropriately".?? It is aimed at encouraging young persons to use language which is suitable for any given situation.?? He was speaking at the Gordon Corbin Studios, Government Hill, St. Michael.

Mr. Harper pointed out that with the studio 80 per cent operable, the MRD was using the radio station 91.1 FM to broadcast programmes for primary school students twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.???? Mr. Harper added that persons preparing for Caribbean Examination Council certification could also tune in to the radio station on weekday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 for information on select subjects.

"Incrementally, we hope to develop programming with the aim in the next five years to have a 24 hour, fully functioning educational radio station for students and the general public," the acting Chief Audio Visual Aids Officer stated.

Plans are also under way for a revised Homework Action Line programme during the summer, which will be produced and packaged by the studio.?? "We will start this

summer with productions for television in English, Mathematics, History, Social Studies, Geography, Science, French and Spanish at the CXC level," Mr. Harper announced.

??Another initiative which the MRD hopes to have operational, is the creation of a programme to allow students to download information on various subjects to their cell phones after school hours.?? "We in the department believe in the need to be proactive and take negatives and turn them into positives.?? Eighteen months ago we started to experiment and have perfected the science of downloads, and we can offer, once permission is given, downloads in many subjects to a cell phone outside of school hours.

"So if you want to brush up on your French or Spanish vocabulary, you can go to our website http://www.pbsebarbados.org/, type in a word, download that word in French or Spanish and then you would hear the correct pronunciation. We are also looking at applications in science and social studies, right across the curriculum," he said.

The MRD is also working on the production of comics for educational purposes.??

kmoore@barbados.gov.bb

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