Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e-Learning Jamaica Limited, Keith Smith, says that the company has reached an agreement with the postal service (Jamaica Post) for the distribution of some 25,000 tablet computers to the nation’s teachers.
“In partnership with the postal service (Jamaica Post), we will do central distribution to the principals of the schools, who will then distribute to their teachers,” he told JIS News.
Mr. Smith shared that more than 100 tablets have been distributed to some schools, including St. Michael’s Infant and Primary School in Kingston, Irwin High School in St. James, Clark’s Town Infant and Primary School in Trelawny, and the Mandeville Primary School in Manchester.
“The ‘Tablets for Teachers’ programme is a project we expect to wrap up in three months. We are doing all we can to expedite the delivery of these tablets, given the need for distance learning during this time,” he said.
Mr. Smith noted that many teachers have complained about the difficulty of using cell phones for online classes, and these tablets are expected to help them to carry out their lessons more efficiently.
The CEO pointed out that the 25,000 tablets being supplied represent the number of persons who qualified for the programme as a registered teacher in May 2018, when the agreement was signed.
“We are also working alongside the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA); the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; and the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, to ensure the smooth delivery of the tablets. The 25,000 Samsung-branded tablets were sourced from Royal Computers Limited, which will be supplying 10,000 tablets, and Productive Business Solutions, which will be providing 15,000 tablets,” he added.
The tablets are provided for the teachers’ personal use and should be used for curriculum support when necessary.
Each device will be outfitted with a protective case and stylus.
Mr. Smith stated, however, that these accessories will be delivered later due to delays with the Chinese manufacturing company.
The tablets for teachers programme costs approximately $800 million and each tablet is valued at approximately US$200.
Article by: JIS
