35,448 students without devices, but Gadsby-Dolly assures: Help is on the way

Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly. -
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly. -

A TOTAL of 35,448 students are still without laptops and other devices for online learning.

But in revealing this figure, Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly assured on Friday that help is on the way. She said 26,450 primary school students and 8,998 secondary school students are affected.

She said that in the coming weeks, her ministry will receive a batch of 20,000 laptops, and parents and guardians of students without devices are asked to complete and submit the means test form before April 30, in order to secure a device.

Although the government announced its plans to start the means test – to determine the eligibility of students for the laptops – last October, Gadsby-Dolly said the focus was to start the test as close to the arrival of the laptops to prevent duplication of those who would be qualifying for a laptop from the means test and a device from another donor.

On Tuesday night, the ministry announced the start of the means test as the devices are expected to arrive in the country within a few weeks.

Gadsby-Dolly said, "Now that delivery is imminent, the means test has begun so we will be able to make a smooth transition into qualification for device and delivery of the device."

She told Newsday that over 60 donors through the Adopt-A-School programme had pledged approximately 22,000 devices and to date, 18,000 laptops were delivered.

For the rollout of the laptop distribution, the ministry said in a release, “Priority will be given to students previously identified by their schools as not having devices and those who demonstrate financial difficulty, based on information submitted on the Device Provision Form."

However, parents of students who haven’t received a device through the Adopt-A-School programme or other donations, can still sign up in the means test.

The release added, “This signals the start of the distribution of devices procured by government for students whose parents have difficulty, due to socio-economic circumstances, in providing devices for them."

Means test forms are available at all government-assisted primary and secondary schools or can be downloaded at the ministry’s website: moe.gov.tt/means-test2021/. Forms can be dropped off at the ministry’s office.

The ministry promises that every effort will be made to leave no child offline as the world navigates the dynamic shift in education caused by the pandemic.

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