Digicel, Flow work with MoE to provide connection for virtual classes

In an effort to assist as many students as possible, service providers Digicel and Flow are co-operating with the Ministry of Education to provide connectivity for virtual classes that begin this month in primary and secondary schools.

In a brief interview with Newsday on Tuesday, head of public relations for Digicel Colin Greaves said, “Digicel continues to support the government’s efforts at bridging the digital divide that exists in our society, and we have been in on-going discussions with officials from the Ministry of Education exploring the options of how we can assist in providing connectivity to students attending virtual classes this semester.”

He said the company has been proactive in its effort to make connectivity widely available since the beginning of the pandemic, including donating 1,095 devices to students and teachers in 23 special-needs schools across the country since June and providing free data to over 300 special needs students.

The company provides access to the Ministry of Education’s video educational content to over 93,000 households via its Video on Demand platform. Greaves said the company has also made portable internet devices available for those living in rural areas.

“Our team is still hard at work developing other support mechanisms which can be rolled out, and we would announce them in the coming days.”

Flow is also providing connectivity to students, in support of the government’s efforts. A statement released by the company on Tuesday said, “We recognise how important our networks are for keeping everyone connected and we are fully supportive of the ministry’s efforts to provide a seamless education experience for our young students during this covid19 pandemic.”

It said the ministry’s content is available on Flow channels IPTV 104 and digital 4.

The company also provides a Flow Study platform where students can access the same curriculum used in their schools, “along with exam-styled question and solutions for over 35 subjects, more than ten years of past papers and solutions, plus digital encyclopaedias.

“We are currently engaged in discussions and exploring further ways that we can continue to enhance our support in realisation of the Government’s vision for our education sector.”