Government announces free laptops for students

Some 25,000 students from Grades 10 to 13 will get free laptops when they return to school in September.

Education Minister Karl Samuda said the devices would be distributed to students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) on a phased basis, beginning in late August.

The minister, speaking in Parliament yesterday, said that the use of technology would be critical when school resumes in September.

"Our schools are now requiring that students have access to a dedicated tablet or a laptop for computer-based learning," he said.

Most vulnerable students

"As a Government, we recognise that not all children will have access to these devices. That is why we are in the process of procuring over 100,000 laptops and tablets for our most vulnerable students. We have commenced the procurement for 77,000 tablets for students up to Grade Nine, and 25,000 laptops for students from Grades 10 to 13," Samuda said.

Students have not been in school, physically, since March, when schools were shut down due to the threat of COVID-19. Samuda said that following extensive research, it was decided that the method of teaching in the new school year would be a mix of online instruction; interactive television programmes provided through the E-Home school network provided by Ready-TV, the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Education Television; printed learning packages or kits; and face-to-face instructions.

"The blended approach will ease some of the demand for additional teachers and classrooms given the physical distancing requirements," Samuda said.