bmobile helps students go to school online

With the first week of the new school year under way, the Ministry of Education continues to partner with networking companies to reach as many students as possible, who are now attending virtual classes.

While Minister of Education Nyan Gadsby-Dolly reported a 90 per cent turnout of students so far, parents and teachers continue to complain they simply do not have the resources to participate in virtual schooling.

A release from network provider TSTT’s bmobile on Wednesday said the company is working alongside the ministry to provide connection to as many students as possible.

It said bmobile has partnered with the Ministry of Education for its Adopt A School initiative, "which aims to deliver data connections (and) devices to the approximately 63,369 students who need them to begin this term’s virtual curriculum.”

It also said the company is in discussions with the ministry on providing support in “the best and most effective way possible,” to ensure the ministry’s vision of "no child left behind" is realised.

The company will roll out new mobile and data service packages aimed at making online education affordable and accessible.

TSTT CEO Ronald Walcott said, “The objective is to assist those students whose parents are facing financial constraints due to the impact of the global covid19 pandemic.”

The statement said the company has also been providing free, zero-data access to other educational websites which support students since April, at all educational levels, including the ministry, UWI, the University of TT and the National Library.

The company broadcasts the ministry’s virtual educational curriculum on channel 4, free of charge, on bmobile Amplia’s channel 103.

CSEC students were also provided with free online maths revision through a partnership with the NGO Restore A Sense of I Can (RSC) in April, benefiting over 20,000 students.

“The pandemic continues to have a huge impact on global education," it pointed out. "As one of the pillars of its foundation, bmobile has always been committed to contributing to the education of TT’s youth.”