Lethe Primary Gets Computer Tablets from Past Students

Two hundred students and teachers of the Lethe Primary and Infant School, in Southern St. James, are to receive new computer tablets, courtesy of past students, Mr. and Mrs. Joel Webbe, through their company, Caribbean e-Book Limited.

The first set of 50 tablets were presented to the school by the Webbes during the official launch of the progamme at the institution, recently.

It has been agreed that the remaining 150 Tablets will be delivered to the Principal of the school by mid-year.

The tablets, which operate without internet connections, are designed to help children learn in a more efficient and engaging way, both inside and outside the classroom.

According to Mr. Webbe, the devices offer access to over 150 quality applications in three major fields, such as Education, Creativity and Entertainment.

“The applications available on these innovative and interactive educational tablets are based on the standard kindergarten and primary school Caribbean curriculum and offers unlimited access to top quality learning material designed and managed by a team of educators, technologists, child psychologists and parents who are focused on finding the most current and best quality content available,” Mr. Webbe told JIS News.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that our children are equipped and empowered educationally to become functional adults in the future. We will therefore be ensuring that every child and teacher at this institution is presented with a tablet computer, as part of our dream for the Lethe Primary and Infant School,” he added.

Meanwhile, addressing the large gathering of parents and supporters of the school at the presentation ceremony, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Grace McLean, congratulated Principal of the school, Anthony Murray, for his effort at mobilising the community and moving the literacy rate in the institution from 20 per cent to over 80 per cent.

“We at the Ministry of Education appreciate the great work you and your staff are doing and also commend the parents and other community persons for their support to the school. I want also to commend Mr. Joel Webbe and his wife for the presentation of the tablet computers to the school and assure them that the Ministry will be seeking ways by which we can support their programme,” she said.

Dr. McLean said the tablet computers being presented to the school would be looked at as possible alternatives for the project that the Ministry is pursuing under the eLearning Jamaica project.

“To date, we have distributed over 25,000 tablets to students in 38 schools across Jamaica and are aware of the levels of creativity of our students as they interface with the instruments. Through the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, we will be ensuring that the creativity of our students is channeled in the right direction. It is only through our ability to channel the creativity of our students into positive directions that we are going to turn this country around,” she emphasised.

Dr. McLean urged the children to believe in themselves and use the tablets to enhance their educational development.

For his part, the Principal said the school has been chosen to pilot the introduction of the ‘Learnit’ Caribbean eBook programme, which is staging its inaugural launch in Jamaica.

“The computer tablets will be used to strengthen and enhance the literacy and reading programme at Lethe Primary and Infant School, starting with the Early Childhood/Kindergarten level and moving up to the primary department. We therefore want to assure the donors and the entire school community, that these instruments will be used to the best of our abilities as teachers, to ensure that this school eventually achieve its goal of 100 per cent literacy across all grade levels,” Mr. Murray said.

The Principal added that the students will benefit when the Ministry of Education’s Tablet in Schools project reaches the school, as the students will also be presented with tablets.

“These tablets presented to the Lethe Primary and Infant School by the Webbes are designed and uploaded with enrichment activities for students of different grade levels and will be specifically used to enhance our reading programme here at the school. The Ministry of Education’s tablets will have curriculum and reading material for specific grade levels, which will be different from eBook Learnit tablets,” he told JIS News.

Regional Officer at the Ministry of Education’s Region 4, Montego Bay Office, Dr. Michelle Pinnock, lauded the Webbes for the computer tablets.

“We at the Ministry of Education are committed to supporting this effort and through our Early Childhood and Primary Departments, will ensure that the tablets are maximized for the students’ education. We are asking the parents to support the project by ensuring that the tablets are protected and that the students use them for the purpose they were given, especially while they are at home,” she urged.