THE Ministry of Education has distributed pre-loaded electronic tablets to grades 10 and 11 students enrolled at three secondary schools in Region Nine (Upper Takutu – Upper Essequibo).
The ministry, in a press statement on Thursday, stated that a total of 103 students from Aishalton Secondary School, 91 students at Sand Creek Secondary School and 75 students at Karasabai Primary School, all received tablets.
The tablets, according to the release, were donated to the Ministry of Education by various private sector entities such as KFC Guyana, S and K Construction/Consultancy Services, Demerara Bank Limited, Amazon Supply and the Ansa McAL Foundation.

The pre-loaded tablets contain several learning resources and material approved by the Ministry of Education, all tailored to help pupils and students to prepare for the upcoming examinations.
The distribution of the tablets is a direct response to the needs of these students, as they have been set aback tremendously since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Teaching and learning have been greatly affected and many students in the hinterland regions have not been fortunate to benefit from online learning, whether it’s because of the lack of connectivity due to no present internet connection available in their community or the lack of devices.

“This is the primary reason why the Ministry of Education chose to have resources loaded onto the tablets so that whether internet is available or not, they have the necessary resources within their hands,” the Ministry of Education said.
Additionally, the ministry said that works are ongoing to provide enough bandwidth to schools in the Rupununi and South Pakaraima, so students could have access to proper internet connection.
The donations are not the only form of measures being implemented to improve the delivery of education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Earlier this month, the Ministry of Education launched its reinforcement lessons for hinterland students. The programme entails expert teachers on the coast conducting virtual classes with students in 12 hinterland secondary schools to reinforce what they have learnt and will need to know as they prepare for this year’s examination,” the education ministry said.
The feedback from the students benefitting from this initiative has been great and informative. They have expressed their gratitude for the assistance and have asked that the programme continue beyond their sitting of examinations this year.

One pupil, Joshua Alphonso of Wauna Primary School, said that the virtual lessons have allowed him to catch up on lessons that he missed due to the pandemic. He said that the virtual classes allow his classmates to share ideas with other schools and to learn from them.
Kelly Bisnauth from Mahdia Secondary School said that that the virtual classes are very informative. She has since improved in her report and short story writing. “Homework given at these classes keeps us occupied since we know that we might be called upon to present. We get to meet new teachers and interact with students from other schools, this made me realise that other students are having similar problems as us,” the student is quoted as saying.