630 PEP students receive tablets under USF programme

Some 630 high-performing students in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations have received tablets under the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) Connect-a-Child Programme.

The students, drawn from all 63 constituencies, come from low-income households and were presented with Samsung Galaxy tablets to support their education and help them participate more fully in an increasingly digital society.

The devices were distributed during the Connect-a-Child Awards Ceremony held on August 28 at the Karl Hendrickson Auditorium at Jamaica College in St Andrew.

In remarks delivered by State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Rhoda Moy Crawford, Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Daryl Vaz said the initiative goes beyond providing devices, noting that “we are placing possibilities in the hands of Jamaica’s young people”.

Vaz said the programme is intended to ensure that a child’s future is not determined by geography or household resources.

“A student in rural Portland should have the same opportunity to succeed as a student in Kingston. Similarly, we believe that a child in Westmoreland, Clarendon, Manchester or anywhere else in Jamaica should never have his or her potential limited by inability to access reliable transportation, connectivity or technology,” he added.

He noted that the Government, through the USF, continues to expand Jamaica’s digital footprint and narrow the connectivity gap through investments in community and public Wi-Fi infrastructure, as well as programmes that place technology directly into the hands of citizens.

“Therefore, when 630 high-achieving students receive devices on this occasion, it becomes so much more than the mere distribution of tablets. What the Universal Service Fund is doing is placing another tool for opportunity into the hands of 630 young Jamaicans,” he further stated.

USF Chief Executive Officer Charlton McFarlane said the Connect-a-Child Programme represents an investment in the students’ future by providing access to technology and opening the door to new opportunities.

He noted that the programme was launched in 2023 to help bridge Jamaica’s digital divide by providing devices to high-achieving students from low-income households.

More than 1,890 students have benefited since its inception and, with the addition of this year’s recipients, the number will exceed 2,500, McFarlane said.

He added that the USF has invested in free public Wi-Fi services, supplied schools and public institutions with information and communications technology (ICT) equipment, and established ICT clubs in more than 35 high schools across Jamaica.

McFarlane said the programme’s success will ultimately be measured by how students use the opportunities it provides.

He encouraged them to explore fields such as coding, animation, engineering and science, while urging them to become creators rather than merely consumers of technology.

“Don’t allow the tablet to be the smartest thing you own. You must always be smarter than the technology that you use. Ask questions, think critically, be curious and explore; and, most importantly, challenge yourselves to create as much as you consume,” Charlton emphasised.