MoECST Chromebook Distribution Continues in Belize City
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education began the distribution of five thousand Chromebooks – a donation from the Republic of China (Taiwan). Primary and secondary schools countrywide will benefit from this donation for which fifteen percent of student population – standard four to fourth form of the selected schools – are the recipients. Today was day three of the distribution and saw over three hundred and forty devices handed over to seven schools. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Ajaia Hernandez
Ajaia Hernandez, 3rd Form Student, Maud Williams High School
“I was limited to the things I could do. That was until I was one of the students who received a laptop so now I can do much more than I could do before. So it has helped me a lot with the research and the work that I could do. And I am very grateful for it.”
Duane Moody, Reporting
Ajaia Hernandez is one of many students that have benefited from laptops donated to schools, and by extension students, to bridge the gap in the digital divide. Today, another batch of digital devices, Chromebooks to be specific, was distributed across schools in Belize City. It started as earlier as this nine o’clock morning in the education belt of Belize City, the Caribbean Shores division.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Area Representative, Caribbean Shores
“As you know, our constituency is considered the education belt with so many schools per capita – both high schools and primary schools and the University of Belize as well also has a campus here within Caribbean Shores. And so, this is a proud moment for me to share along with the Minister of Education and his Minister of State Doctor Louis Zabaneh as well as the Republic of China (Taiwan) who have collaborated to deliver five thousand Chromebooks across the country to those students who are most in need. As you know, we went through a very tumultuous time with COVID, but if it is one thing we learnt throughout that period is the importance of technology, the importance of using technology – whether it be at our workplace or in schools. And so, we all recognise the importance of having such a tool as a laptop and then to have this opportunity to share that with those students most in need, it certainly is a proud moment for me.”
Pallotti High School received fifty-eight Chromebooks, Nazarene High School eighty-one, Saint John’s College one hundred and four, Trinity Methodist School got seven, Canaan SDA High School got thirty-six and Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School received thirteen. The amount of devices received is fifteen percent of the student population for each high school and fifteen percent of the students from standards four to six for the primary schools.
Avril Arthurs
Avril Arthurs, Principal, Buttonwood Bay Nazarene Primary School
“We’re supposed to identify thirteen students that we are going to be giving these Chromebooks to. I am sure that the students that are going to receive these books are going to be really excited. I know that you are aware that during the COVID pandemic time, majority of the students were doing online classes, however, we had some who were less fortunate; they didn’t have a device and therefore they were unable to log into these classes. So we are actually looking to these students to give these Chromebooks to. Now, whether they have internet at home or not, the school has internet so they will be able to bring these devices to school and still engage in fun learning activities online. If they have assignments that the teacher would give online, they will be able to do it at school as well. So I can see them catching up with the other students that already had these devices.”
This afternoon, the officials from the Ministry of Education made their way over to Maud Williams High School on the south side of Belize City. They have a student population of over two hundred and eighty.
Deborah Domingo
Deborah Domingo, Principal, Maud Williams High School
“We were pleasantly surprised today because we didn’t get any information as to the quantity we were going to receive. But for in the presentation, we found out that it is forty-three Chromebooks to be distributed to forty-three students at Maud Williams High School. It does help. It puts us closer to having every students with a device. Now obviously everybody can’t benefit because our enrolment is closer to three hundred. But there are other programs that our students have benefited from in small ways and yo know weh dehn seh, one one okro full basket. And so, we have forty-three students now who have the world at their fingertips using the device and the internet that is available to them.”
While achieving the equitable distribution of the Chromebooks, Minister Musa says that it works hand-in-hand with the ConnectED program of the Ministry of Education.
Kareem Musa
“The ConnectED program by the Ministry of Education – again, another groundbreaking achievement by the Government of Belize, as well as the feeding program as well as free education on the south side of Belize City. All of these things are the fulfilment of PlanBelize; rolling it out in phases and this again is part of that opportunity and one of the requirements of being a beneficiary of having one of these laptops is that your school is part of this program with excellent Wi-Fi with good internet service so that you can stay connected.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
