Last Updated on October 4, 2020, 7:04 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information of Jamaica has started the distribution of 40,000 tablets to 500 primary schools, under the Tablets in School Programme of the Government.
The first recipient of the tablets would be Holy Family Infant and Primary School, and the school received 146 tablets for supporting the virtual learning for the students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).
The tablets were handed over on October 2 during a ceremony which was held at the Laws Street address of the school in downtown Kingston.
These tablets are distributed by e-Learning Jamaica (e-LJam) and would be targeted at students in grades four to six.
Hon. Fayval Williams, Portfolio Minister, said that the distribution of the devices is meant to augment around 18,000 tablets and over 12,000 desktop computers already in the school system.
“We have 36,000 of them on the island right now, and e-Learning will be going to all our primary schools across the island to deliver these tablets. This is the first allocation, and as we go along, the Government will look to find additional resources maybe in the next school year to ensure that all our students have a laptop or tablet to assist them in their educational pursuits,” Mrs Williams said.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), e-LJam, Keith Smith told JIS News that the total value of the tablets being distributed in schools this year is US$6.2 million. These resources, he said, are critical to supporting virtual learning.
“Without the device, they can’t do anything, and our experience with the coronavirus (COVID-19), a lot of students don’t have a device. Providing these devices to students is the first step to being able to access e-content and e-learning,” Mr Smith said.
The distribution of tablets is expected to be completed by the end of November.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
