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Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (West), Hon. Homer Davis (left), presents a tablet computer and Universal Service Fund (USF)-branded water bottle to student of St. Mary’s Preparatory and Kindergarten School in Montpelier, St. James, Sudania Barrett, on April 20. The occasion was the official commissioning ceremony for newly installed Wi-Fi service in Mount Carey, St. James. Wi-Fi service was also commissioned in the neighbouring community of Maroon Town. Sharing the moment is USF Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Dawes.

Residents of Maroon Town and Mount Carey in St. James Receive Free Wi-Fi Service

Approximately 1,200 residents of Maroon Town and Mount Carey in St. James now have access to free Wi-Fi service, thanks to the Universal Service Fund (USF). The facility, which was officially commissioned on April 20, has been provided as part...

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, addresses Zed Technologies Cybersecurity and Data Protection Conference, held on April 19 at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

Education Ministry Working to Improve Efficiency in Service Delivery

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon Fayval Williams, addresses the Teachers’ Colleges of Jamaica Biennial Research Conference 2023, at the Holiday Inn Resort, Montego Bay, St James, on Wednesday (April 19).

Teachers Urged to Make Greater Use of Technology in the Classroom

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams (second right), tries out a virtual reality headset during the Teen Tech JA conference held at the Wolmer’s Boys’ School in Kingston on April 5. Guiding her is Chief Operating Officer, Virtual Reality Jamaica, Ryan Moore (right). Others sharing the moment (from left) are Chief Executive Officer and Founder of EduHub, Davia Bryan-Campbell; students, Naomi Miller from St. Hugh’s High, and Ramonique Morris and Oneillia Cole from Wolmer’s Girls School; and Director of Information Communication Technology (ICT), Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, Gary Campbell.

Hundreds of Students Benefit from Teen Tech Conference

Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams (fourth right), shares in the presentation of tablets to teachers and students of the Windward Road Primary and Junior High, and Treadlight and Rollington Town Primary schools, at a ceremony for the handover of tablets donated by the Toots Foundation, at the Ministry’s Heroes Circle offices in Kingston on April 5. Sharing the moment is Vice President of the Toots Foundation, Leba Hibbert (fifth left), daughter of the late reggae icon for whom the foundation is named. The tablets are intended to help bridge the digital divide.

PHOTOS: Toots Foundation Presents Tablets to Students

Chief Executive Officer, Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Andrew Wynter (left), presents Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre) with an E-Passport during a courtesy call at the Office of the Prime Minister on April 3. Looking on is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang. On Friday, March 31, PICA went live with its new high-security e-passport to the public, as part of steps to safeguard the identity of Jamaicans and the Jamaican travel document. The machine-readable passport has an embedded microchip that stores a digital version of the holder’s biographical data. The chip has a unique digital signature, specific to each issuing country and is activated once the chip is encoded. The E-passport is a robust biometric document with added layers of security that can aid in the fight against new and emerging threats to identity theft and national security.

3 years ago Technology

PHOTOS: PM and Deputy PM Get E-Passport

Chief Executive Officer, Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), Andrew Wynter (left), presents Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre) with an E-Passport during a courtesy call at the Office of the Prime Minister on April 3. Looking on is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Hon. Dr. Horace Chang. On Friday, March 31, PICA went...

Head and Co-Founder of Digital India Foundation, Arvind Gupta (second left) addressing members of the National Information and Communication Technology Advisory Council (NICTAC), at a Digital Think Tank held in the Banquet Hall, Office of the Prime Minister on April 3. At left is Senior Advisor/Consultant, Office of the Prime Minister, Alok Jain.

3 years ago InformationTechnology

PHOTOS: Digital Think Tank at OPM

Head and Co-Founder of Digital India Foundation, Arvind Gupta (second left) addressing members of the National Information and Communication Technology Advisory Council (NICTAC), at a Digital Think Tank held in the Banquet Hall, Office of the Prime Minister on April 3. At left is Senior Advisor/Consultant, Office of the Prime Minister, Alok Jain.

Students and staff at the Ferncourt High School in Claremont, St. Ann, will soon be able to access full Internet service, as the Government continues its push to upgrade the networking capability of schools.
Minister of Education and Youth, Hon Fayval Williams, who made the disclosure, said the groundwork is being done by technicians to have the institution equipped with Internet service.
She was speaking at the institution’s Open Day 2023, on Thursday (March 30), in celebration of the school’s 85th anniversary, under the theme ‘Reigniting our Zeal to Achieve Greatness’.
“We are working to ensure that Ferncourt High has adequate broadband connectivity all across the campus. I know that the technicians are working to ensure that, and in time, wherever you walk on the campus, you should have access to connectivity,” Minister Williams said.
She reiterated that the Ministry is committed to creating a strong information and communications technology (ICT) environment in schools to prepare students to adjust to a technologically advanced world.
“We know that is the way of the world now and you students need the skills as you complete your education,” the Minister said.
To this end, she noted that the new computer lab at Ferncourt High was outfitted with 49 new laptop computers, as “we want you to become as technologically savvy as you can”.
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“We have to ensure that in our high schools, in particular, we have the devices available to you,” she added.
Meanwhile, Minister Williams implored the students to utilise the Microsoft Office 365 suite of programmes, available free of cost.
She said emails have already been sent to students and educators at their moeschools.edu.jm email accounts for access to Microsoft Office 365.
“I would like you to go to your MOEY email today. We have sent a link for you and all the teachers to download. You will have access to Microsoft Word, Excel, Teams, Notes and a whole host of Microsoft products and especially to you who are doing CSEC and CAPE… to help you to do your SBAs,” the Minister said.
The Minister hailed Ferncourt High for holding fast to its commitment to provide students with quality education.

3 years ago EducationTechnologyYouth

Ferncourt High to Get Full Internet Service

Students and staff at the Ferncourt High School in Claremont, St. Ann, will soon be able to access full Internet service, as the Government continues its push to upgrade the networking capability of schools. Minister of Education and Youth, Hon Fayval Williams, who made the disclosure, said the groundwork is being done by technicians to have the institution equipped with...

Minister of Science, Energy and Technology, Hon. Daryl Vaz, addresses the official launch of the MyCash digital wallet by Paymaster, at the AC Marriot Hotel in Kingston, on March 28.

3 years ago EnergyScienceTechnology

Jamaica Moves Closer to Cashless Society with MyCash Digital Wallet

Jamaica is steadily moving closer to becoming a cashless society with the recent official launch of MyCash, a digital wallet by Paymaster. Speaking at the event on March 28, at the AC Marriot Hotel in Kingston, Minister of Science, Energy and Technology (MSET), Hon. Daryl Vaz, hailed the newly confirmed FinTech organisation for providing another option for accessing digital financial...

3 years ago Technology

Jamaica to begin issuing E-Passports to the public

On Friday, March 31, 2023, PICA will go live with a new high-security electronic or E-passports document to the public. PICA has been taking steps over the years to secure Jamaica’s passport as part of its efforts to safeguard the identity of Jamaicans and the Jamaican travel document, and the E-passport is the latest initiative in that regard. As the...

Minister of Justice and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew North Eastern, Hon. Delroy Chuck (third right); Principal of New Day Primary School, Garfield McDonald (second left) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Universal Service Fund (USF), Daniel Dawes (right), share a moment with children of the Andrews Pen community following the launch of Wi-Fi in the area, courtesy of the USF, on March 23.

3 years ago CommunityTechnology

PHOTOS: Andrews Pen Gets Community Wi-Fi

Minister of Justice and Member of Parliament for St. Andrew North Eastern, Hon. Delroy Chuck (third right); Principal of New Day Primary School, Garfield McDonald (second left) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Universal Service Fund (USF), Daniel Dawes (right), share a moment with children of the Andrews Pen community following the launch of Wi-Fi in the area, courtesy...

Fourth- and fifth-form students at Holy Trinity High School in Kingston work on new laptops provided by E-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJam). The first 30 of 68 devices were officially handed over to the institution during a ceremony on Wednesday (March 15).

3 years ago EducationTechnologyYouth

10,000 Laptops Being Provided to High Schools

A total of 173 secondary-level institutions across the island will be provided with 10,000 laptops, valued at $4.3 million, to outfit their computer laboratories. The initiative is being undertaken by E-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJAM). The devices will assist students in preparing for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and also help in developing...