Education stakeholders praise return of student laptop programme

THE Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA) and the National Parent-Teacher Association (NPTA) say they support the government’s plan to resume giving laptops to students entering secondary school.

However, they urged proper maintenance and sufficient training on how to use them.

The programme was first introduced during Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s last stint as prime minister under the People’s Partnership government (2010-2015).

Laptops were given to all students entering secondary school. In 2015, she revealed that her government distributed 95,000 laptops in total. Each laptop was valued at around $4,000.

During the UNC’s campaign in the run-up to the April 28 general election, Persad-Bissessar had said a UNC government would bring back the laptop distribution programme.

At her first post-Cabinet media press conference at the Red House on May 8, she confirmed it will return in September, the start of the new school term.

She said to this day, members of the public tell her the laptops they received during 2010-2015 are still working.

“It warms my heart, and I’m so proud of what we did…That was one of the best programmes.”

She told Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath, “You have your job cut out. I want those laptops in time for the September school reopening.”

Under the former PNM administration, there was a laptop initiative devices were distributed to students who met the criteria of a means test. Students in forms five and six were not eligible for the device provision programme. According to the Ministry of Education, between 2020 and 2023, a total of 71,000 laptops and tablets were distributed to teachers and students.

TTUTA, NPTA welcome return

Speaking to Newsday on May 9, TTUTA’s first vice president Adesh Dwarika said given the digital direction CXC is headed towards, it is a welcome initiative.

In April, CXC said it was working with member countries to create a responsible generative artificial intelligence policy framework for the regional secondary education system.

It also announced that January exams will be offered online from 2026.

Dwarika said, “So obviously, if this is their direction, the students must be equipped with the proper tools for it. But there must also be proper maintenance. Lack of maintenance is one of the downfalls of almost everything the Ministry of Education does.”

He said laptops for teachers are also just as necessary and this should be looked at.

“The last set that was given had to be returned for technical difficulties and we did not really get to use them.”

He further stressed that internet access at both schools and students' homes will be necessary for the laptops to be used to their full potential.

NPTA president Walter Stewart told Newsday it is a "welcome and forward-looking move as students prepare for the digital world."

The re-introduction of laptops for first-form students is welcoming and forward-looking as students prepare for the digital world.

But he added, "This reintroduction should be premised on ensuring that proper structures and mechanisms are put in place for environmental fitness, responsible use, equitable access and timely and sustained support and maintenance.

"Requisite training of our teachers is also necessary as they are the driving forces, motivators and mentors in ensuring a good learning experience and proper attitude and acceptance of technology by students."

Past recipients praise initiative

A woman from south Trinidad told Newsday that owning a laptop “just wasn’t an option” for her as a child, as she came from a “lower-income household.

“I was part of the second group to receive one in 2012. It was the first time I had access to my own device and it helped me get familiar with using a computer, which is something that’s essential now but wasn’t guaranteed for all students back then.”

She said academically, it was a “major help” as she used it to do her SBAs in form five and internal assessments in form six.

“It also allowed me to do research, type assignments, and stay organised with deadlines.”

She added, “Beyond that, I used it to teach my younger sister how to navigate a computer. When she entered secondary school in 2015, the programme had already ended, so she didn’t get her own laptop. Thankfully, mine was still working well enough that she could use it throughout forms five and six for her schoolwork.”

The woman said her laptop is still working and she recently gave it to another family member who needed it for school.

“The return of the initiative feels like a necessary and overdue step. It gives students who can’t afford a device a fairer shot at success.”

Another recipient from East Trinidad also said his laptop is still working. He said he is thankful to have benefited from it and sees the return as crucial.

“We were the first to receive laptops and I never had one before that.

“It helped me with school work, projects…It was definitely something that was very much needed especially as things were becoming a bit more modern in those days.”

He maintains that it is a great initiative and is happy for the students who will benefit from it.

“We seem to have problems with students not getting (access) to textbooks and families may not be able to afford them. But if you have a laptop, you have access to everything on the World Wide Web. I think that’s one of the biggest advantages.”

A woman from central Trinidad said although hers no longer works, it was “quite vital during (her) time at high school.

“It came in handy for my assignments and research where needed.”

She added, “I think the return of the programme would be able to help people like me who did not have access to a laptop during high school.”

Another man from east Trinidad said he was fortunate enough to have a laptop before the programme, but it “came in handy with educational features and software that made it easier to help with my school and research.

“It also helped many of my friends who were not as fortunate to have a device that allowed them to do so.”

He said many of his friends’ laptops still worked even after graduating from university in 2021.

“The initiative did play a key role in helping many students have a better and easier quality of life.”