THE Government, through the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme, has recently distributed an additional 681 computers to families in the Charity area on the Essequibo Coast.

Region Two Chairman, Mr. Parmanand Persaud, who was present at the commencement of the distribution exercise at the Charity Secondary School, said the Government’s policy is for every family across the country to get a laptop computer under the OLPF programme so as to be educated in Information Technology.

According to the Regional Chairman, the computers are provided free of cost by Government and recipients are given training on how to operate the machines.

Mr Persaud also interacted with the large crowd of persons that were standing in the school compound awaiting their turn to collect their computers.
He also took the opportunity to address several matters of concern including drainage, indiscriminate dumping of garbage and the importance of sending children to school.
Supervisor of the OLPF distribution exercise on the Essequibo Coast, Ms. Indrawattie Natram, said the first distribution for this year was held at the Marnatha Assembly of God church where a hub is located, on June 18 and 19. According to Ms. Natram, some 349 computers were distributed to applicants. She said the distribution was done by staff members of OLPF from Essequibo and Georgetown. Ms. Natram said the exercise continued on Friday July 11th at the Marantha church hub where another 400 computers was distributed free of cost to residents.
Residents who received their computers said they are thankful and have shower praise on the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) Government. They said the computers will surely help them and their children to learn Information Technology and ‘surf the internet’.

(By Rajendra Prabhulall)