Alisa Lashley

ONE hundred Electronic tablets, purchased with funds raised during ANSA McAL’s ‘ONE YARD’ virtual benefit concert, were, on Wednesday, presented to the Ministry of Education (MoE). The October 30 concert showcased some of the best talents in the region and had the very important objective of facilitating access to remote learning for children throughout the Caribbean during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, in her remarks during a simple handing-over ceremony, highlighted that Guyana, like many other countries, has been grappling with the difficulties of COVID-19. She said with schools being closed, initially, for the entire school population, devices were and is still needed to ensure learning continues.

The Education Minister said the majority of the tablets will go towards a pilot programme for hinterland communities. This programme entails pre-loaded tablets being given to hinterland students writing the 2021 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination. Meanwhile, Managing Director of ANSA McAL Trading Limited, Troy Cadogan, stated that the company, through its Foundation is “elated” to help Guyana’s young people with their learning. “It is imperative that our young people are equipped with the best possible tools to be educated and our foundation will always continue to aid ventures such as these, not just in Guyana but in the Caribbean as well,” he said.

ANSA McAL Foundation member, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, was also present and shared similar sentiments regarding the equipping of Guyana’s youth with the best possible tools to aid their learning during the pandemic. Over the next few weeks, the tablets will be distributed to various schools around Guyana. Through the special One Caribbean Future Fund, created with the funds raised from the concert, the ANSA McAL Foundation has already distributed tablets to Education Ministries in Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica. The Foundation will also be distributing tablets before the end of the year to Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis to assist these islands which have also been grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their education systems.