The Grateful Hill Primary School in St. Catherine has 40 tablet computers and $200,000 worth of bursaries for needy students, compliments of past student Unique Gray.

Gray who is the principal behind Drive Unique, a car-rental entity, said she saw on social media that the school was on a drive to get tablets for students in need and decided to help. Thereafter, she discovered that there was also a need for monetary support for students.

“It is a great feeling because of how the kids looked when they got them,” Miss Gray said while speaking in an interview with JIS News, adding that “we will be in touch with the school, and whatever need exists we will help them as best as possible,” she added.

Principal of the school, George Moodie, said the tablet drive has picked up pace, as two other past students have contributed eight of the devices. “They are coming on board to ensure that the Grateful Hill Primary School is with tablets, so that the students can access quality education,” Mr. Moodie said.

He also reported that 97 per cent of his students have been placed in traditional high schools from the recent Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations. He said the teachers at the institutions, especially those for grade six, “fought the odds” to reach students during the pandemic, and their efforts along with parents and other stakeholders have helped the school to move from 95 per cent to 97 per cent passes during the last sitting of the exams.

“Our continuous climbing on the educational ladder, and with the involvement of our past students, we are now on a rebranding phase of the institution to take the students to another level of education,” he said.

While arguing that the school is a family-based institution, Mr. Moodie said they use a motto to motivate students, instilling in them that “I am good as any, better that many, and second to none.” The school has 340 students, 14 teachers, and three caregivers.

 

The Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) has donated 60 tablets valued at $1.2 million to two primary schools in St. James and St. Andrew.

The institutions are Farm Primary and Infant in Green Pond and Edward Seaga Primary in Denham Town, which were presented with 30 tablets each on September 8 and September 9, respectively.

Director of Internal Affairs at the JCA and Chairperson of the Agency’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Committee, Tameka Goulbourne, told JIS News that the funds used to purchase the devices came from personal donations by employees.

The devices were purchased according to specifications given by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information.

Ms. Goulbourne said that the CSR Committee focuses its efforts in and around communities where the JCA’s offices are located.

“We have community locations in Montego Bay and our head office and other Customs locations are not very far from Edward Seaga Primary, so we engage the schools that are within our reach, within our own communities, to see how best we can assist them,” she said.

Noting the genesis of the CSR programme, Ms. Goulbourne said “we wanted to have a greater impact on our stakeholders beyond our current mandate, especially with everything that has been going on. We are experiencing unprecedented times, so we made the decision to establish a programme with this in mind”.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, says she is pleased that the Ministry has been able to significantly reduce the digital divide in the sector through the implementation of several initiatives aimed at providing more students with electronic devices.

“There are many more students with devices now at the start of this school year than there were the last school year because [of] the significant efforts that we made with the ‘One Laptop per Child’ initiative, the ‘Own Your Own Device’ and the government procurement of devices,” she said in a recent interview with JIS News.

Designed to promote inclusivity in the education sector, the One Laptop per Child initiative and the Own Your Own Device incentive programme, which were launched last year, seek to facilitate students’ continued education remotely, due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The One Laptop per Child  initiative provides devices for needy students, including those with special needs, students in State care/homes as well as those who are not beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), while the Own Your Own Device provides the guardians or parents of needy students with a $20,000 gift voucher to be used towards the purchase of an electronic device.

In the meantime, Minister Williams said she is pleased with the smooth start to the new school year, which she said, was facilitated by the increased number of children who now have access to electronic devices.

“From the early checks of the system and throughout the day, we did not detect any issues. In fact, people were saying the start of this school year virtually is much better that it was last year,” she noted.

The first week of the new school year is being conducted remotely given the rise in COVID-19 cases. The Minister is hoping that students will be back to the face-to-face mode as quickly as possible.

“In the education sector, we have our dreams, we have our expectations. We have said we would love for our high-school students to be able to go back [to face-to-face] in October, but again, we are guided by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. So, we have to take our lead from them in terms of the timing of this, but we are geared up and ready to go back as soon as possible,” she said.

Lessons are being delivered online, via printed learning packages or kits and through the audio/visual (television and radio) platforms.

Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is again urging all eligible Jamaicans to take the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, noting that most of the infected persons now hospitalised are unvaccinated.

“The unquestioned fact is that 99 per cent of those persons who are occupying those 700 beds …in hospitals, were not vaccinated,” he noted.

Mr. Holness said the science suggests that the risk of an adverse or fatal outcome from COVID-19 infection is “very low” for persons who are inoculated.

As such, the Prime Minister urges influential persons, such as entertainers and church leaders, to encourage more Jamaicans to take the vaccine.

He made the appeal during Thursday’s (August 19) virtual press conference, where he outlined new COVID-19 containment measures.

Mr. Holness said the Government now has sufficient doses to inoculate a significant number of persons, and established measures to replenish the stock of vaccines.

He noted, however, that hesitancy and reluctance were hindering a number of persons from getting vaccinated.

“I am [however] confident that for those persons who are skeptical, who are unsure but reasonable minded, that our reasoning with them will work,” the Prime Minister said.

Some of the revised COVID-19 containment measures include: no movement days on Sunday, August 22; Monday, August 23; Tuesday, August 24; Sunday, August 29; Monday, August 30; Tuesday, August 31; and Sunday, September 5.

Additionally, no funeral services will be permitted between August 25 and September 7, while only 15 persons, including officiating clergy, gravediggers, and undertakers, will be allowed to attend burials over the period.

Meanwhile, no more than 20 persons will be permitted to physically attend weddings.

Chief Executive Officer, Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey is encouraging parents and guardians to utilise play therapy as a means of promoting mental wellness in children.

She said that there has been an uptick in demand for therapeutic services for children, particularly since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has disrupted their way of life and has forced children to reduce contact with their peers.

“To reduce the impact of the pandemic, play is absolutely critical. We encourage parents to find creative ways to play. Play can be facilitated indoors and outdoors.

It improves the child’s concentration, builds resilience, promotes positive feelings, social competence and desirable behaviours. Play promotes factors that support good mental health and it is important to children’s overall well-being,” she said.

Mrs. Gage-Grey was speaking at a virtual Child and Adolescent Mental Health Awareness Day round table on May 27, organised by the Nathan Ebanks Foundation.

The event, held under the theme ‘The Power of Play: Helping Children Cope in the COVID-19 Era’ was aimed at providing information and resources to help young people cope during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mrs. Gage-Gray said that good mental health “is necessary for our overall health and has become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not only negatively impacted adults but also our children. Oftentimes, our children with mental health issues feel as if they have nowhere to turn”.

She noted that the issue is further compounded by the existing stigma associated with mental health, which discourages parents from seeking help for their children.

The CPFSA Head urged parents to seek help from social agencies mandated to provide assistance to children and adolescents.

For assistance, persons can contact the following support agencies:

Custos of St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin, has joined the call for parents to be more vigilant in monitoring their children’s online activity in order to protect them from cyber predators.

“It is important that you understand that there are predators out there… and it doesn’t matter whether you are a boy or girl. So we advise parents to make sure that they monitor and supervise their children during (online) class time,” he said.

Bishop Pitkin was addressing a ceremony at Bogue Hill Primary and Infant School in the parish on Friday (June 4), where he handed over 14 tablets and tablet cases for students.

Funds to procure the devices were contributed by staff of National Pen Jamaica Limited, through activities initiated by Operations Manager at the company and Justice of the Peace (JP) in the parish, Natalie Smellie-Sinclair.

Seven students were on hand to collect their tablets, while the other seven were given to the principal for disbursement.

In his remarks to the students, Bishop Pitkin advised them to utilise the devices for educational purposes only.

“It is not for games unless it is an educational game. It is not to go on [social networks] that students tend to go on. They pretend to be in school or at class and when you check it out they are on some other app,” he noted.

Bishop Pitkin also encouraged the students to take their education seriously, as it will open the doors to a bright future.

“I believe that education is important for our nation’s children. The only way that you can move from poverty to prosperity or to become self-sufficient is to have a skill or a profession and that’s what coming to school or staying in the virtual classroom is all about,” he said.

The Custos also commended Principal of the school, Lorna Crooks, for her sterling leadership of the institution over the years.

Mrs. Crooks told JIS News that the donation was timely, noting that the devices will “greatly benefit” the students.

“I am certain that the students appreciate that now they can access [their] classes on Google Classroom. I am really happy today that more of them can be online,” she said.

Meanwhile, Grade Six student at the school, Jonathan Smart, told JIS News that he was grateful to receive a tablet.

“I feel very good about it. A lot of children will be thankful at the school,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Smellie-Sinclair, who solicited the financial contributions for the devices, expressed appreciation to her co-workers, who responded to the call for support.

She said that the funds raised were handed over to the Office of the Custos through which the tablets were procured.

The technological capacity of Eccleston Primary School in rural St. Catherine has been boosted, with the provision of four computers and a printer, from Felix Scott, a past student based in Canada.

The devices were officially handed over to the school, on June 9, by Mr. Scott’s niece, Audrey Douglas.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Ms. Douglas said initially, her uncle wanted to donate two computers, but other family members chipped in and increased the number to four.

She further said she hoped that the donation will be used to contribute to the growth of the institution.

Principal of the school, Kamion Simpson said the donated items are timely, and will assist in the efficient delivery of education, to the over 75 students at the school.

For her part, Community Relations Education Officer, with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Kereen Reid-Clarke, said that the Ministry is pleased with the donation.

“We want Eccleston to always do exceptionally well, and we appreciate all the donations,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for West Central St. Catherine and Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said the community has provided the necessary support for persons to go places.

“The Scott family clearly sees in you as an institution and as youngsters coming up, the possibility of where you can reach or go, and they are empowering you to get that opportunity, and you must use it to become the best you can be,” Dr. Tufton said.

Student at the school, Jashari Mittoo, said the computers will have a “significant impact on our school and boost the performance of students present and students to come”.