Well over a month before sleigh bells are to be heard around the world, a slightly different delivery was made to White Marl Primary and Infant School in St Catherine, Jamaica.
On November 5th, the school received a donation of seven new Hewlett Packard laptops, with the aim to aid the school in fulfilling its mission to empower every child to be a GEM (Gifted, Excellent, Masterpiece).
The laptops were donated by UK-based World Food brand Tropical Sun, who are dedicated to aiding not only the students at the school, but also the local economy, having sourced the laptops from a local business, helping to stimulate the economy through the difficult times brought around by Covid-19.
It hasn’t just been the economy that has been hit by the pandemic, the impact on the school population has also been massive, with many students unable to access adequate education during this time. The addition of these new laptops will allow the school to reach more students simultaneously, and also allow for many other hybrid styles of learning.
Mr Ian Forbes, the schools Board Chairman spoke about this impact, stating “The uptake with respect to the virtual space has been very poor. I think the highest we have had is just under fifty per cent and in some instances 20 plus per cent.”
The school now desires to improve student access to devices and ensure good internet connectivity at the school.
Principal of White Marl Primary & Infant School, Mr Milton Brown stated "God continues to bless our school and His provisions extend far beyond the technological devices donated tot he school today.
"We make note of the local and international support made evident through the attendance and contributions to the event."
The school was joined remotely by a number of high profile attendees including The Hon. Fayval Williams, Minister of Education, Youth & Information and Dr Kasan Troupe, Acting Chief Education Officer in the MOEYI, His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, Jamaica High Commissioner to the UK and Councillor Ms Keisha Lewis, who offered greetings on behalf of the Member of Parliament, Hon. Denise Daley.
Also in attendance were Representatives of Tropical Sun Foods, Mr Paul Harrison, Head of Community and Brand Manager Sinan Jefferies, who expressed their gratitude to all of the partners of this venture.
As you can see by the faces of the children, this donation is one early Christmas Present that is definitely going to get a lot of use from this school family.
