Students Urged To Capitalise On Free WI-FI

Students in and around Savanna-la-Mar are being urged to make good use of the free Wi-Fi hotspot installed by the Universal Service Fund (USF) in the Westmoreland capital for their academic and personal development.

The encouragement has come from Principal of Petersfield High School in the parish, Roan Green, who is imploring students to “embrace the initiative”.

“This will no doubt provide an opportunity for you to improve your approach to academics while enhancing your critical thinking skills,” Mr. Green said at the commissioning of the facility on April 29.

“This is a well-overdue opportunity and I thank the USF. But as you navigate the different learning platforms, I’m asking you to kindly download a bible because with a bible-trained conscience and emotional intelligence, you will be… able to make informed decisions when you are not in the public’s eye,” he added.

The facility provides high-capacity, high-speed broadband Internet service that can accommodate up to 500 concurrent users.

It is the 18th hotspot to be installed in Westmoreland under the USF’s free Community Wi-Fi Programme.

Coke Street, Bethel Town, and Grange Hill are among areas enjoying free Internet service under the initiative, and an additional nine community Wi-Fi hotspots will be installed at other locations in the parish during the 2022/2023 financial year.

Mr. Green noted that the provision of free community Internet, particularly in rural areas, provides an opportunity to improve the social landscape through greater access to commerce, jobs, and education.

He said that prospective and existing small and medium-sized enterprises can increase employment opportunities, expand markets and scale up profit margins.

“These are the decisions that will build our youth, community, and Jamaica, the land we love,” he contended.

Internal Auditor at the USF, Carlene Williams, for her part, urged the residents to use the Internet responsibly.

“While this gift is free to you, it comes at a cost… by the USF on behalf of the Government. At USF, we are about providing opportunities and, therefore, it is important that this gift is used for the purposes for which it is intended,” she said.

Ms. Williams noted the value that the resource will add to residents’ lives, including strengthening civic responsibilities while facilitating engagement through real-time communication.

“We are bridging the information gap and connecting Jamaicans at home and abroad. We are proud to be a part of this movement, providing information and communications technology (ICT) services that are affordable and accessible to the underserved,” she said.