In preparation for academic year 2021/22, the Ministry of Education (MoE) begun the distribution of laptops purchased by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT). At a ceremony at the Education Towers on Monday 5th July 2021, Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby- Dolly, Minister of Education and the Honourable Lisa Morris-Julian, Minister in the Ministry of Education were joined by Senator the Honorable Allyson West Minister of Public Administration and Digital Transformation in a symbolic presentation of laptops to Principals. Throughout the day (July 5, 2021), two thousand and eighteen (2018) laptops will be distributed to five (5) primary and sixty- nine (69) secondary school principals, representing five (5) Education School Districts.
The Honourable Lisa Morris-Julian, Minister in the Ministry of Education opened the press conference and contexualized the event in terms of where the MoE started eleven months ago, with the Adopt-a- School programme. This public-private partnership continues to be a holistic response to the need for devices for students, and according to Minister Morris-Julian, this next phase will aid in the “digitization of every school.”
Senator the Honorable Allyson West, Minister of Public Administration and Digital Transformation pledged full support for the initiative, “The Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation has been working closely with the Ministry of Education to both secure devices and to ensure that the platform on which education is provided, going forward, is robust and suited to the needs of the children. I would like to encourage the principals, teachers and students to get creative, the laptop is not only a tool on which you sit at home or in the classroom and learn in the standard way, it gives you the opportunity to broaden your horizons to change how you learn and teach.” Before symbolically presenting the first set of Government procured laptops, Dr. the Honourable Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Minister of Education, thanked the corporate donors in the Adopt-a-School Programme and explained, “today we are starting the Government procured laptop distribution process, which transcends simply providing devices. It is also about the training which has been instrumental in helping our teachers wield the digital tools well. Device procurement ensures that all our students can move in the direction of the education sector both globally and in Trinidad and Tobago.”
The devices will be provided to students whose parents/guardians completed the Means Test. Parent/guardians will be required to sign the Agreement for Assignment of Devices upon receipt. Of the 20,000 devices purchased, the first tranche totaling 4000 was received on June 24th, 2021, with another shipment of 4320 devices expected to arrive within the second week of July 2021.
