Nursing student says laptop will make school life easier

One of the several hundred students of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) who received laptop computers last Wednesday and Thursday, October 1 and 2, 2025, has expressed appreciation for the gift and is already looking ahead at how it would aid in the efficiency of his work life.

First year nursing education student, Jonathan Boyde, said the laptop is the third device he has received from the government and it would make his life easier because of the amount of research they, as nursing students, have to undertake.

“This would really be a vital tool for me, not just in terms of having space, but the processing speed…specs are really good,” he stated.

Some 2,750 lap tops were procured at a cost $US 1.1 million.

Students of the SVGCC received more than 1,000, with more than 600 going to students of the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DVTE) and Nursing Education, with the remainder earmarked for fifth form students. It was the fifth such distribution by the government.

Addressing the students, lecturer at the Division of Technical and Vocational Education (DTVE), Dr LaFerne Browne, said the laptop computers will empower students to thrive in a technology-based environment.

Meanwhile, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Information Technology, Camillo Gonsalves, pointed out that increased access to education is something about which the government is very proud. He told the recipient students when they learn a skill, they are doing something that Chat-GPT cannot do for them.

He added that a capable computer and a wi-fi connection are important for students to function effectively.

“Every graduate has an opportunity to further their study,” the Minister of Finance stated.

He referred to the availability of tuition scholarships, noting that this avenue is available for anyone wanting to pursue higher education. These are the best laptops “we’ve ever purchased,” he noted, and urged the students to take care of them. The minister said as well that the lecturers of the Division of Technical and Vocation Education will also receive devices.

Jaheim Timothy, a student of the DTVE, thanked the government for the laptops noting that it represents a significant investment in his education.

“I assure you that we are going to take care of them,” and “strengthen our resolve to work harder to achieve goals,” he promised. (API)