Custos donates tablets valued at $1.6 million to students

STUDENTS FROM select schools in Clarendon benefited from donation of tablets valued at about $1.6 million from custos of the parish, William Shagoury, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education under the One Tablet/Laptop Per Child project.

The handover ceremony was held at Denbigh High last Friday, where Minister of Education Fayval Williams, along with Shagoury, handed over the tablets to the principals or their representatives of Central High, Clarendon College, Denbigh High, Edwin Allen High, Foga High and Vere Technical High, who collected on behalf of the students.

Responding to the outreach, principal of the school, Janice Julal, said she is happy he responded to the cries for help from students and parents.

“When good Samaritans such as Custos Shagoury reach out in this way, the impact on our children is far-reaching. Our children realise that caring capital still exists in our country and that others are invested in their success,” she said.

Julal also praised vice-principal of the school, Dianne Gordon-Denton, who she said did an excellent job of coordinating the selected schools.

One of the beneficiaries of the tablet, Eva Reader – a grade eight student at Denbigh High – expressed joy at receiving the device.

“I will now be able to log on to my classes and complete my work on time. I have not been able to do so since school closed in March,” she shared, adding that her mother was overwhelmed and broke down in tears .“She is a single mother of us three girls and is finding it difficult to help us now,” she said.

Commenting on his generosity, Shagoury said it was influenced by the need to continue to assist students, and as “we cannot afford to continue not helping the students, otherwise we are going to have a generation of illiterate children. I am asking the private sector to come on board and help the children so they can have a future in coming years,” is the plea coming from him.

Highlighting the tablet in schools programme, Shagoury said the Government is not in a position to help everybody, and that is why he said the private sector needs to step up.

In addition to the 60 tablets, Shagoury also donated 120 books written by former principal of the school, Dr Kasan Troupe, chief education officer in the Ministry of Education, titled ‘The Missing Link’, to the six schools.