Last Updated on October 27, 2020, 12:24 PM AST by Anthony Morris
The Government of Jamaica would complete the distribution of 40,000 tablets under the Tablets in Schools programme during the week of November 4.
Hon. Fayval Williams, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, announced at a ceremony for the handover of tablets at the Buff Bay Primary School on October 22.
The Government, through e-Learning Jamaica, started the distribution of devices on October 2 to the students who are benefiting from the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education.
The tablets are targeted at students in grades four to six and would augment the 18,000 tablets and over 12,000 desktop computers in the school system already.
Minister Williams stressed the importance of giving technological devices in the hands of students.
She said that a technological device is what a textbook was 50 years ago in the hands of a child. That is how people should look at a laptop or a tablet.
She added that the country is on a journey, and it is a journey to make Jamaica a fully digital society where everyone feels comfortable using technology to better the educational outcomes and to access government services.
The Minister said that they aim at bringing out brighter children of the education sector. She added that they want the children to learn faster, and the Government believes that technology would help to enable that.
Chief Executive Officer, Keith Smith, said that more devices are coming for students and educators, which would provide around 100,000 technology solutions for the year.
Smith said that this year, they have rolled out 23,000 teacher tablets, and they have another 1,500 to do.
The Tablets in Schools programme is 40,000 tablets, and they have just gotten the nod for the second-to-last stage of the procurement process for 16,000 new tablets, which would go to high schools – grades seven, eight and nine.
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.
