ST JAMES, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government is looking to provide technology devices to more than 500,000 students in the education system.

“The total number of learners in the education system is approximately 590,000 and of that number, approximately 52,000 are tertiary students and 33,000 are enrolled in private schools,” he said. 

“So the core target of the Ministry of Education [Youth and Information] would be about 503,000 students that we want to ensure that they have tablets and we have put in place various modalities to do this,” he said.

“We have been supplying tablets to students who are registered on [the] Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH); the Government has procured 40,000 tablets to assist,” he pointed out.

Holness made the announcement while addressing a ceremony for the handover of 30 tablets and a laser printer to the Salt Spring Primary and Infant School in St James yesterday.

He said that, so far, some 124,000 tablets have been supplied to the education system.

He noted that in addition to provisions made for students under PATH, needy non-PATH children are receiving support under the ‘Own Your Own Device’ (OYOD) initiative. This involves the provision of $20,000 towards the purchase of a laptop or tablet to 36,000 families.

The Prime Minister added that some 16,000 tablets have been contributed under the ‘One Laptop or Tablet per Child’ initiative through the generosity of the private sector and persons from the diaspora.

The donation of tablets to Salt Spring Primary, which was made through the Prime Minister’s charity organisation, Positive Jamaica Foundation, will add to devices already provided to the school by the Education Ministry and private donors.

“So you [Salt Spring Primary and Infant] will move from having 80 kids with tablets to 120, so you are moving up,” the Prime Minister noted. There are 176 students on roll.

Holness implored the children to use the devices wisely and for the purpose for which they were given.

“These devices are not toys, they are not only for gaming… . To the parents, [the children] are going to play games on [the devices], but you have to manage it; you have to regulate it. You cannot just leave the children with the devices on their own. From time to time, you have to supervise them. Ensure that they are using the devices for the purpose which they were given, which is to help them to access information through the Internet that will advance their education,” he noted.

Principal of the Salt Spring Primary and Infant School, Norma Brydson, in her response, thanked the Prime Minister for the donation, noting that he was at “the right place at the right time”.

“You are saying Happy Children’s Day to the students. Your gift to them is the best gift… .  My children are now better off today,” Brydson said.