Carlong Publishers (Caribbean) Limited is moving to bridge this digital divide which continues to impact Jamaicans involved in online learning by providing support to students and teachers through the donation of 30 Samsung Galaxy Tab A tablets to three schools across the island.

The selection of these schools was guided by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

Sharnett Rowe-Hyman, principal of Austin Primary and All-Age in St Elizabeth, which was one of the three selected schools, expressed her elation with the donation of 19 tablets at the handing-over ceremony recently.

“We are very happy and grateful for these tablets. They will go a long way and they will be very well taken care of,” said Rowe-Hyman.

Ten tablets were donated to select students of Oracabessa High School in St Mary, who were identified through the Yard to Yard, Find a Child Initiative.

Under this initiative, school officials routinely go out into the surrounding communities to engage students who have been absent from online classes because of lack of access to Internet or a device.

One tablet was also donated to McIntosh Memorial Primary School in Manchester.

Carlong coupled these donations with training workshops designed to assist teachers in integrating the use of printed textbooks in a distance learning environment. These training strategies will also be made available to other teachers across the island to prepare them with the tools to navigate the current educational landscape.

According to Carlong, as partners in the education process, it recognises the importance of embracing emerging and evolving solutions to support the continuation of learning during and after the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Carlong Publishers is the Caribbean’s foremost educational publisher, committed to the development of quality educational and cultural products. The company also markets and distributes books that support Caribbean curricula at the early childhood, primary and secondary levels.