NET Provides Devices for Students in Need

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has presented challenges for the education system, resulting in many schools closing their doors and thousands of students forced to access learning online. One of the challenges is the availability of devices (tablets, laptops) by some students to access online learning.

The National Education Trust (NET), through its ‘One Laptop/Tablet per child Initiative’, is seeking to acquire 100,000 devices estimated to cost $4.5 billion, to be distributed to students across Jamaica. Director of Donor and Partner Relations, NET, Latoya Harris, tells JIS News that the initiative is to ensure that every child has access to education. Ms. Harris is, therefore, appealing to individuals and organisations, both locally and overseas, to support this worthy initiative, whether in cash or kind. “Through this initiative, what we are trying to do is to ensure that every student has a device to allow them to participate in the digital space, even though face-to-face classes are scheduled to resume on a phased basis,” she says. According to her, the days of chalkboard are over, so a student will still require a device.
“We are operating in a global space, where technology is driving everything. The students need to be familiar with technology, they need to use it in their everyday life and they cannot do that if they don’t have access to a device,” Ms. Harris says.

She points out that NET has been partnering with the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Junior Achievement Jamaica, and Jamaica Social Stock Exchange to collect funds for the project.

To make monetary contributions, persons can log on to the PSOJ’s www.connectachildja.com portal, which is courtesy of the NCB Foundation; the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s www.jsseja.com portal; and the Junior Achievement’s www.jajamaica.org portal.

To donate devices, persons may send an email to info@net.org.jm or call 876-967-7962 or 876-562-9542. Donors who use the PSOJ portal can select the schools for their donations.

The NET is also partnering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, through the various Consulates, for persons who live in the diaspora and want to support the initiative.

Ms. Harris says the New York Consulate has a partnership in place to source devices at a very reasonable cost from suppliers for donors who make monetary contributions.

Meanwhile, those who wish to donate tablets or laptops may also go through the relevant Consulates, who will get the devices to NET.
“One important thing to note is that donor instructions are carried out; however, if they indicate that their donation is to go to a particular school, and the quota for that school has already been met, that is communicated and the donation may be directed to another school with the donor’s approval,” Ms. Harris says.

She points out that the ‘One Laptop/Tablet per child Initiative’ does not target students on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH); however, if a request comes in, the Trust passes it on to the Ministry, which has direct responsibility to acquire and distribute devices to students on PATH. Meanwhile, individual students who are in need of a device can send a direct request to NET via its social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), using the handle ‘netjamaica’. “We assist students after doing verification to ensure that they don’t already have a device and they are really in need. Donations are logged into a database to ensure there is no duplication in the system – no child receives two or more laptops,” Ms. Harris says. To date the Trust has received approximately 12,000 devices for distribution.

The NET is a registered charitable organisation under the Education Ministry, with a mandate to garner resources for schools and carry out large-scale infrastructure development projects.

It assists schools receiving donations from overseas to access waiver, and also streamlines how persons and organisations can donate to schools. “We execute a portion of the Ministry’s budget for projects, such as classroom expansion to relieve overcrowding, to remove the shift system, especially at the high school level; water harvesting and sanitation. What we are doing is to ensure that the school environment is conducive to learning, safe, secure and meets the requirements for the different certifications, especially for the infant schools to meet the operational standards,” Ms. Harris explains.

She points out that a Resilient School Project, also born out of COVID-19, is being undertaken by NET.

This is to equip schools with the resources to operate during the ongoing pandemic. Nineteen schools were assisted with wash stations, personal protective equipment (PPE), to include sanitisers and thermometers.

More than 400 learning institutions are targeted to benefit under the Resilient School Project, which is being executed in partnership with the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund and The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Since its inception in 2010, NET has developed a track record for efficiency and adherence to quality standards, to the satisfaction of both donors and beneficiaries alike who require effective coordination and cost-effective delivery of projects.