$1 Million for Schools, Students Excelling Under Tablets In Schools Project

The Government has set aside $1 million to reward five schools that are showing academic improvements from utilization of the tablet computers provided by the Government under the Tablets in Schools Pilot project.

Students, who demonstrate excellent technology skills from use of the tablets, will also benefit from the allocation.

Making the announcement today (December 9), Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, said his Ministry, along with the Ministry of Education, will be monitoring the progress of the 38 educational institutions that will benefit from the 25,000 computer tablets that are being provided under the project. The top five schools will receive a total sum of $500,000.

“For those schools that show marked improvements over their previous situation, we are going to (make one award) for each category of school – basic, primary, high school, and teachers’ college. Those that come out on top, each will get $100,000 to show that the tablets are working,” Minister Paulwell informed.

He was addressing a tablet distribution exercise at the St. Benedict’s Primary School in St. Andrew, where 640 students were presented with devices.

Noting the significant earning potential of persons, who excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Minister Paulwell said “we will be watching to see how well the students perform in those subjects. We have another set of money to reward those schools, and those students.” Those with creative talents will be rewarded $500,000.

“Where the schools indentify youngsters who (on their own) can create applications, who can do their own programming on our tablets, we are going to have …a national competition where the best boy and girl will get $500,000,” he informed.

Minister of Education, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, and Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, Hon. Damion Crawford, welcomed the computers for the students, while emphasizing how it can aid their learning.

Meanwhile, Minister Paulwell reported that of the nine tablets that have been stolen, four have been recovered.

He said the tracking device on the computers is helping in their recovery, and appealed to persons with the remaining five computers to leave them at the nearest police station, or school. He warned that “once the authorities have to go for them, arrests will be made”.

Over 16,000 tablets have already been distributed to students under the $1.4 billion pilot project.