KINGSTON, Jamaica — Sagicor Foundation and Sagicor Bank is contributing $5 million to support 30,000 students with free to access study material on the e-learning platform EduFocal, as they prepare for the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination.

Sagicor said the students will have access to the platform until the end of the term.

This comes on the heels of the Government’s announcement of the temporary closure of schools until the end of the Easter term, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Sagicor Foundation is committed to the education of our nation’s youth. This sponsorship is an effort to ensure that our children’s education is not disrupted as they prepare for a life changing examination. We also understand that this may be a difficult time for the parents and want to do our part to offset what would be an additional expense for them,” Sagicor Foundation chairman, R Danny Williams said.

The foundation said the support will cover access to the Edufocal platform for children in grades four to six and will allow them to access live classes from Monday to Friday during the outlined period.

Gordon Swaby, CEO and co-founder for EduFocal Limited, expressed thanks to Sagicor and other local companies which have come forward to support the students’ education.

“Sagicor’s support of EduFocal’s move to assist parents and PEP students at this time is indicative of the importance of youth development. Our mandates are similar in this regard and collaborations such as these can only make Jamaicans stronger together as we work to get through this pandemic,” Swaby said.

He noted that more than 60,000 students are expected to use the platform during April.

Swaby recently disclosed that the platform has seen an uptick in usage since March 13, when schools island wide were closed for 14 days and the organisation offered its services to the public free of charge.