Teaching and learning at the Ena Barclay Academy of Excellence in St. Thomas has received a technological boost with the handover of six tablets and two laptops by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) and the Universal Service Fund (USF).
The special needs institution caters to students diagnosed with intellectual disabilities.
Manager for JIS Morant Bay, Nyoka Linton, who addressed the presentation ceremony at the school’s Pear Tree River campus on Friday (January 23), said that as the Government’s information arm, it is crucial for the JIS to promote and participate in the ongoing digital transformation and to make it inclusive.
She underscored that the devices are important tools in the education of the pupils.
The donation came just one day before the International Day of Education (January 24), which is used to highlight education’s role in peace and development.
For his part, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the USF, Charlton McFarlane, said that the support “is just a fraction of the amount of devices that the Universal Service Fund donates to young people, students, young entrepreneurs, persons who have budding businesses and they want a computer because they want to arrange their files and their finances and so on”.
With the USF’s mandate to bridge the digital divide, the CEO said the hope is that Jamaicans will move from being mere consumers of technology to producers.
“It is my dream that one day Jamaica will not only be using the technology that comes out of the United States, China and South Korea. One day, I want Jamaica to use the technology that comes out of Jamaica,” Mr. McFarlane expressed.
The USF also used the opportunity to present tablets to outstanding students from other schools across St. Thomas Eastern under its ‘Connect-A-Child’ initiative.
“Congratulations students. Please make use of the devices. Parents… please ensure that they are used responsibly and they are taken care of,” the CEO urged.
Acting Principal of the Ena Barclay Academy of Excellence, Jacqueline Hendricks-White, expressed gratitude to JIS and the USF for the donation.
“This, most definitely, will add to the teaching and learning process in a positive way,” she said, noting their usefulness in the engagement of the special needs students.
“The children love the gadgets. They are smart with it! Even those who cannot read, they understand it. So, getting the tablets now, they will be able to have individualised time along with the teacher as they go along. And guess what? On the tablets, we can find activities from actually every subject area to work with these children. We are most appreciative,” the Acting Principal said.
The Ena Barclay Academy of Excellence has been in operation since 2017.
Its main campus is located in Lyssons.
