Huawei donates 200 tablets to UTech, UWI
Published:Saturday | November 7, 2020 | 12:08 AM
The thrust to get students of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Jamaica connected continues with several private, public and corporate entities stepping up to the plate.
Huawei Technologies, Jamaica recently donated 200 of its Mediapad T5 tablets to The University of the West Indies (UWI) and University of Technology (UTech).
The tablets donated to UTech were handed over in October, at a ceremony at the Papine campus of the university. It stemmed from a partnership between the two organisations, established in 2017, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate through the Seeds for the Future-SKY programme, where high achievers from the Faculty of Engineering and Computing are selected for scholarship opportunities. The awardees visit Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, where they interact with some of the best professionals in the global ICT industry.
“Huawei believes that access to education is vital to create opportunities that support fair and sustainable development in all countries around the world,” said Andy Deng, chief executive officer of Huawei Technologies, Jamaica.
Partnership
Deng notes that this process includes a partnership between government authorities, educational institutions and social organisations, working together for equal access to digital and ICT talent education. He praised the university as an important ally in the Seeds for the Future programme, adding that the programme had successfully trained several Jamaican students.
“We hope to continue our cooperation with UTech, Jamaica in projects to promote equal opportunities for students throughout the country,” Deng said.
In welcoming the donation, Professor Colin Gyles, acting president of UTech, noted the significant impact that the pandemic has had on the delivery of education, adding that, “we have been mindful of this particular challenge for our students and we have been seeking ways of providing assistance through scholarships, grants, and donation of devices such as laptop computers, which has been supported by the private sector”. He thanked Huawei Technologies, Jamaica for “its generous donation and continued support and commitment to the welfare of our students”.
Professor Gyles congratulated the five students selected for this year’s Huawei Seeds for the Future-SKY programme, which will be hosted virtually. School of Computing and Information Technology high achievers Alecia Bailey, Alex Downer, Cassandru Bartley, Chadan Huggup and Dylan Lewis were encouraged to “share the new knowledge that they will acquire about the latest trends and technology developments that can ultimately contribute to a brighter future for Jamaica”.
Professor Sean Thorpe, head of the School of Computing and Information Technology, who chaired the ceremony, also congratulated the scholarship recipients, urging them to make the most of the opportunity and to contribute in a meaningful way to the education of those who will come after them.
The Seeds for the Future-SKY programme’s live online opening ceremony will take place on November 16. This will kick-start the programme, which will come to an end November 20.