CASTRIES, Saint Lucia, December 8, 2022—With a growing concern around the decline in math performance on the island, the Sandals Foundation has partnered with the Saint Lucia Seventh-Day Adventist Academy to engage over a hundred students in a year-long math programme. With the programme affording students the opportunity to access additional tools such as mathematics educational games and videos, and additional practice questions, the educators have noted positive outcomes.

"Since we began the Conquer Math programme in February of last year, teachers have noticed an increase in student participation to learn and complete exercises on concepts covered, as well as increased efforts from weaker students to attempt questions on exams, allowing them to obtain better grades," explained Agnel Gabriel, Vice Principal, Saint Lucia Seventh-Day Adventist Academy.

She also noted that the school has seen a significant increase in the June 2022 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Mathematics examination.

"These tools aided in the students' understanding of difficult mathematical concepts and improved their critical thinking skills—they can now solve math problems mentally. It also gave Mathematics teachers more options for providing additional practice and reinforcement of concepts to students, thereby increasing their confidence in the subject. No wonder we have seen a tremendous increase in the June 2022 CSEC Math exam," said Gabriel.

The Conquer Math programme is a year-long initiative that uses technology in the form of games and videos to make math lessons more interactive for students and teachers. Initially, it was intended to assist in filling gaps in the subject area during the pandemic.

With the programme's current successes, the institution will continue to use the technology to help more students overcome their fears of math and enhance their numeracy skills.

Natasha Burnett, Public Relations Officer at Sandals Foundation, discussed the significance of Sandals Resorts International's charitable arm supporting this programme.

"At the Sandals Foundation, we believe that giving students access to the tools and resources they need to develop holistically is important. Through this programme, we've seen how the integration of digital tools has improved the teaching and learning process, allowing students to develop logical reasoning, improve problem-solving abilities, and have fun—all while increasing their numeracy rates."

Sandals Foundation, Sandals Grande St. Lucian, Sandals Halycon Beach, and Sandals Regency La Toc have long been supporters of education in St. Lucia, strengthening infrastructure and donating much-needed resources to a number of schools across the island.