Gov’t $10m Nearer To Closing Digital Divide

The Jamaican Government on Tuesday moved $10 million closer towards bridging the digital divide with a donation from the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation to its ‘One Laptop or Tablet Per Child’ initiative.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information Fayval Williams, in accepting a symbolic cheque “on behalf of the children of Jamaica, especially poor people pickney” expressed delight at the opportunity to continue the journey of ensuring that all children in Jamaica have a device in their hand so that we can continue to close that digital divide. The ministry’s ‘One Laptop or Tablet Per Child’ initiative, which aims to provide needy students with the requisite tools to function in the online teaching and learning environment, was officially launched on October 29.

The Government is seeking to provide an estimated 148,000 students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) with devices. However, an additional estimated 100,000 students still require laptops or tablets to effectively participate in online learning. These students are not on PATH, but are considered needy and vulnerable. The profiles of the targeted beneficiaries are as follows: 600 special-needs students, 94,900 students (not on PATH), and 4,500 students in State care/homes. The estimated cost to provide laptops and tablets is $4.5 billion.
In her acceptance speech, Williams explained that closing the digital divide goes well beyond the provision of a device. In addition to connectivity, affordability and ensuring that they have access to the relevant e-content, it must also include ensuring that teachers are trained and will continue to be trained on the system.

‘Changing Whole Ecosystem’
“It is going to be the whole ecosystem that we put around all of this, to ensure that we also teach our children about cybersecurity – how to be safe in the online world. But the goal that we have is to ensure that technology is infused into the teaching-and-learning experience in the classroom and outside of the classroom, and the ultimate goal is that we see improved outcomes from our education sector. On that, we continue to move our people along towards Jamaica becoming a digital society,” she said.

“We have to ensure that today’s youngsters become digitally literate and move them towards digital fluency so that when they are entering the workforce they do so at a much higher level of competence and knowledge about the digital society. So this is what it looks like in terms of us beginning that digital journey.”
Meanwhile chair of the, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation Patricia Duncan Sutherland challenged her audience to rise above the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A big positive that is coming out of COVID-19 is that it is forced is to move in the direction of really making our children digitally ready for the world. But while that opportunity is there, we know that we have challenges because we are still a poor country and that has been exacerbated by the whole issue of the COVID-19 pandemic. But if we all come together as one country for our children, we can get there, and it is our pleasure to be part of this solution.” (Jamaica Gleaner)