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Introducing Atlantic Pennacool Connect

 

Given the current closure of schools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LNG production company Atlantic has partnered with online education platform provider Pennacool, to establish Atlantic Pennacool Connect. Connect will act as a National School Collaboration Tool to facilitate online learning interactions between teachers and students in schools across the country.

Allowing primary and secondary school teachers to share curriculum content and communicate with their students via a secure interactive internet portal, the initiative will come on stream today, April 2nd for an initial period of 3 months.  150 teachers already registered on the Pennacool platform will be automatically added to the Atlantic-supported portal and more schools will be invited to join the programme.

Dr. Philip Mshelbila, CEO, Atlantic explained that while the current global pandemic required such precautionary measures as closing schools in the interest of public safety and controlling the spread of the coronavirus, Atlantic recognized the need in the interim, to safeguard the educational development of the next generation.

“Atlantic is pleased to find partners as committed as we are to the holistic development of primary school children,” Dr. Mshelbila said. “Atlantic Pennacool Connect, will help create a bridge between teachers and students at home during this crisis and allow the learning process to seamlessly continue using technology. We have supported the Ministry of Education on several occasions throughout our 20-year history, and this initiative created in partnership with Pennacool is no different. For us, this is simply another opportunity to invest in the youth of Trinidad and Tobago, leveraging technology to ensure that the country’s children get more online options to access education as we manage through this pandemic.”

The Pennacool educational platform was established in 2009, and currently reaches 95% of the 450 primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago with a primary focus on SEA instruction.  In 2019, some 137,000 users (students and teachers) accessed the platform on a consistent basis. Last month, 16,000 students utilized the platform. With this new initiative, it is expected that the reach will expand to those secondary schools needing the facility for online collaboration.  Access for both primary and secondary schools will be offered free of charge courtesy Atlantic.

Atlantic LNG is a leading LNG producer with a legacy of supporting young people and sustainable development across Trinidad and Tobago in the areas of sport, education, local economic development and the environment.

Teachers are now invited to register for Atlantic Pennacool Connect at www.pennacool.com. Full instructions about how to enrol classes will be provided via the platform, as well as video tutorials to help guide teachers in formatting and distributing curriculum content.