Laptops sorted, tested and prepared for distribution to students

The distribution of laptops to secondary school students under the government’s “One laptop per child” initiative will begin today at the West St George Secondary School.

Minister responsible for Information Communication Technology (ICT){{more}} Camillo Gonsalves will be at that school at 9:30 a.m. to begin the distribution to the students.

Offcials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information Technology, with the assistance of persons engaged in the Support for Education and Training (SET) programme, have been busy testing, sorting and installing software on the 12,500 Acer laptop computers, since they arrived on June 4, from China.

The computers were purchased using a grant of five million US dollars from the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, with additional assistance being provided by the late Felix Dennis of Dennis Publishing, a former resident of Mustique, who died on Saturday, June 21.

According to Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, Dennis Publishing paid for the packaging and shipping of the laptops and negotiated with Microsoft for free Microsoft software for the machines. The publishing company also procured carrier bags and manuals for the laptops.

Other schools receiving laptops today are the St Joseph’s Convent Marriaqua, the Mountain View Adventist Academy, the Adelphi Secondary School and the Emmanuel High School Mesopotamia.

Tomorrow Wednesday, students from the StClair Dacon Secondary, the George Stephens Senior Secondary, the North Union Secondary, the Georgetown Secondary, the Sandy Bay Secondary, the Bequia Seventh Day Adventist and the Bequia Community High School will receive their computers.

On Thursday, it will be the turn of students at the Bethel High, Buccament Bay Secondary, Troumaca Secondary School and Petit Bordel Secondary schools.

Students of the Girls’ High School, St Vincent Grammar School, Central Leeward Secondary, Thomas Saunders Secondary, Hope Junior High School and the Student Support Services Unit will receive their laptops on July 2.

The following day, on July 3, distribution will take place at the St Joseph’s Convent Kingstown, St Martin’s Secondary, Intermediate High School and the Summit School.

On July 4, the laptops will be distributed at the Union Island Secondary, the Dr JP Eustace Memorial Secondary and the Bishop’s College Kingstown.

A release from the office of the Prime Minister said that a parent must be on hand to sign for delivery of the laptops.