Residents In Wood Hall Welcome Wi-Fi Hotspot

KINGSTON, September 20 (JIS):

Residents, including school children, in Wood Hall, Clarendon, have welcomed the free Wi-Fi hotspot to their community, under the Universal Service Fund (USF) initiative to increase internet access.

The system was officially commissioned into service on September 19, by officials of the USF and Member of Parliament for Clarendon North Central, Hon. Robert Morgan, at a ceremony held in the Wood Hall square.

In his address, Mr. Morgan said the hotspot was installed to boost education in the area.

“We are trying to put Wi-Fi near the schools to build education for empowerment against poverty,” he said.

“I want you to recognise the importance of what you have to assist you with your education,” added Mr. Morgan, while urging the students to continue doing well in school.

He emphasised that the provision of internet is a very important tool  for their continued development.

Mr. Morgan said that during the recent back-to-school effort, “we paid for every single child” graduating from the Wood Hall Primary School to get to high schools.

He also reported that more than 1,200 students were gifted with educational supplies, with 50 of them residing in Wood Hall and having half of their school fees paid for and getting book vouchers and school bags.

Ten primary-school students were given tablet computers at the ceremony by the USF.

For his part, Mayor of May Pen, Councillor Joel Williams, urged the students to “use this facility, not for the bad reasons but use it for your development”.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the USF, Andrew McRae, said the constituency now has five community hot spots, with a sixth one to come.

Mr. McRae said he is expecting various professionals to come out of the communities, “because you have access to the Internet”.

Teacher at the Beulah Primary School, Kadience McFarlane, said “this is a step in the right direction, this is so fitting for the community, and I know that the students will use it wisely”.

Teacher at the Wood Hall Primary School, Andrew Ward, welcomed the facility, arguing that the “socio-economic development of the community is going to gain a lot from this initiative”.

The USF has completed 300 community Wi-Fi hot spots across the island. An agency of the Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Ministry, it is also tasked with installing Community Access Points (CAPS) across the island.