Responding to the call to equip thousands of students across the island to take advantage of the new multimodal approach to learning, Sandals Foundation and Rainforest Seafoods yesterday provided digital tablets to students at St Mary’s Primary School in Above Rocks, St Catherine.

“We are excited to partner with Rainforest to expand the learning opportunities for students. With the growing incorporation of digital learning into schools’ curriculum, this donation will not only ensure that some deserving students can continue their formal learning programme, it will also provide them with the opportunity to engage in a new world of learning,” Sandals Foundation Executive Director Heidi Clarke said at the presentation ceremony.

Fifty digital tablets were delivered to students aged 6-12 years old at the Catholic-run school. Principal Georgette Green said the devices were distributed to students based on a needs assessment.

“Teachers noticed that students were consistently absent from classes, and when they were contacted they discovered that they did not have an appropriate or reliable device to participate in classes. When we received the donation, we were able to identify these students who needed the support, and fill that gap,” Green explained.

The devices, she added, have greatly improved the teaching and learning experience for both students and teachers.

“The donation has tremendously impacted our students and teachers. In the community, access to Internet connectivity is limited, but with these digital tablets the students have been able to use the Wi-Fi at the school compound to complete their homework and carry out additional readings on topics that they would have been exposed to in class. Overall, this donation will help them to become more digitally literate,” she said.