On-line education system up and running in Leopold Street
The Wireless Access Point (WAP) set up to help provide internet access
The Wireless Access Point (WAP) set up to help provide internet access

SCHOOL-AGED children living on Leopold Street, Georgetown, are benefitting from an on-line education system which was set up to provide them with internet access and electronic devices, to assist them with attending their on-line classes.

This system is part of the efforts of the Trinity Methodist Church geared at providing opportunities for learners to access school, despite the shift to the virtual setting. Bishop of the church, Kofi Nials told the Sunday Chronicle that the church realised that many of the learners were not able to attend on-line classes because they did not have internet access, nor electronic devices to access those classes, or both.

Computers for Guyana member, Aggrey Marsh

“They were just running in [the] streets, playing games and playing cards in the corner and when we did a walk-through of the community, it was like we had to do something to help these children,” Nials said.

He explained that within the community there is a general sense of importance given to education, since it is seen as a vehicle for social mobility. Now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, these learners who may have already been struggling with insufficient resources for school, were further challenged.

In response to the evident need, the church developed the “Methodist Education Trust” with the aim of providing internet access and devices to as many learners as possible. So far, 15 tablets have been distributed to students. Two of the students are in Form Five, preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations next year.

To provide internet access, the church has been working along with the group “Computers of Guyana” to set up what is called a “Community Student Network” which utilises a Wireless Access Point (WAP). This WAP basically projects a Wi-Fi signal to a wider range.

Member of the project, Aggrey Marsh, explained that the WAP allows students to garner internet access needed to attend classes, but blocks out sites that would distract them from school, such as Facebook and Youtube. For a learner to access the internet through this, they are given a “token” which has a unique password on it and is valid for one month, on one device.

The Bishop explained that there is a teacher who has made herself available to monitor the system, and provide any guidance the learners might need with completing their school work and assessments.

While the infrastructure for the WAP is in place, the Bishop emphasised that not all of the children in need have been able to benefit, particularly those still without electronic devices to access the internet. As such, he is pleading with members of the public to make donations to the church.

Additionally, Marsh said he is working on setting up this WAP in two other communities: one on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) and the other in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice).

“We are prepared to share how we configured the network with anyone, including the design plan for the network and everything,” Marsh said, emphasising that the group’s aim is to ensure that as many children as possible can access on-line classes.

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