Digicel provides connectivity, devices to 44 more schools

The Digicel Foundation continues to support the Ministry of Education’s Adopt-a-School initiative by teaming up with the ministry to bring connectivity to an additional 44 schools across Trinidad and Tobago.

In a release issued on Monday, the foundation announced its partnership with the ministry and the company’s Connecting You programme.

“The Digicel Foundation will provide 620 tablets and 200 refurbished laptops to ten additional special schools and 34 mainstream schools through this intervention,” the foundation said.

"The selected schools are a mixture of special education, inner-city, denominational, government, and rural schools.”

The venture will cost approximately $1.1 million.

“The Digicel Foundation and Digicel Business will cover the cost of the devices and data packages to some of the schools.”

The foundation, in its release, pointed out that Special Olympics TT (SOTT) forfeited $108,000 in sponsorship to assist with the distribution of the devices. Those funds were initially allocated to SOTT's now-cancelled national games and its annual development training programme.

“Additionally, strategic partner Tech Flex also contributed toward the e-learning drive for the students through free installation of the operating systems."

The foundation says it is currently delivering the devices to the schools.

Digicel Foundation’s CEO Penny Gomez said “We were thrilled to hear of the ministry’s call to adopt a school. Having started our intervention in June, we knew that students would be left behind if additional help did not come their way soon.”

She said, since the foundation’s special needs schools were "fully taken care of," it could now "gladly" adopt mainstream schools to help provide the resources they needed to contend with the disruptions caused by the covid19 pandemic.

The schools to be assisted include Russell Latapy Secondary, Barrackpore Vedic, Blanchisseuse Primary, Brasso Seco RC, Success Laventille, Cedros AC Primary, Warrenville TIA, Charlotteville Methodist, Fishing Pond Presbyterian, Moriah Government and Granville RC.

“Digicel Business will additionally be offering the 68 partner schools free Digicel high-speed fibre broadband for six months. All other schools also have the opportunity to get 50 per cent off their Digicel internet service for one year.”