Yvette Estwick, Education Officer for Secondary Schools at the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training.
Having an electronic device to assist with online instruction in the
new teaching learning environment is key for each and every student,
as it will also help develop the skills needed for the future as
students go out to work.
Yvette Estwick, Education Officer for Secondary Schools at the
Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training,
suggested the above as she was on hand to witness a donation of 30
tablets, which was made by Karen Bishop-McClean, President of the
Sunshine Optimist Club and other representatives of the Club to
Principal of the St. George Secondary School, Dennis Browne. The
donation was made possible via a partnership with First Citizens Bank,
which made a generous donation of $10,000 towards the tablets, as part
of its efforts to assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cheryl-Ann La Roche, Head of Retail and Commercial Banking at First
Citizens Bank, assisted with the handing over of the cheque.
“Each child having a device will support their learning. Additionally,
it will support a broader goal to have students digitally literate,
because we know that as they go into the workplace, they will need the
basic skills to use Microsoft [Office programmes] as well as life
skills as we call them and so, [having these devices] provides an
opportunity for students to develop those skills, because they will
have the tools to do so. So this is a wonderful opportunity,” she
stated.
It was back in May that Minister of Education, Technological and
Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, noted that Government had
identified more than 6,000 students in need of electronic devices, as
it prepared to transition from classroom teaching to an online
environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Education Minister further pointed out that she had anticipated
that around 10,000 devices in total would have been required for those
who did not have access to them, but close to about 6,500 students
were identified in the system as requiring a device.
Since then, a number of corporate entities have come on board to
assist disadvantaged students in acquiring a tablet, so that they can
successfully get on with their online learning, under the G Suite for
Education initiative which makes use of the Google Classroom. (RSM)