Mayor: Give underprivileged SEA students laptops

WITH the school laptop initiative suspended by government, Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodhan is appealing to the business community in his district to take up the challenge and help the less privileged.

He called on corporate citizens and the business community to support some underprivileged children by giving them laptops as they prepare to enter secondary school in September.

“The business community needs to do more for underprivileged students,” Boodan said as he distributed SEA packages to 1,418 students in the borough yesterday.

The students will be sitting the May 3 examination. The package contained pencils, erasers, sharpeners, rulers and other essentials, as well as a positive message.

Boodhan noted that laptops and desktop computers are tools necessary for the development of young minds. He pointed out that the initiative introduced by former Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar’s government was discontinued under the current administration.

Boodhan said despite the state of the economy, “We cannot stop the development and education of our children. These tools will serve as a means of communication and will grant students access to available resources, enhancing and giving them the best chance of success.”

He said it was the duty of adults to encourage the younger generation to build on the foundation of excellence already established in the community and strive to make it better.