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‘25 more students in classes’ - Foga Road High glad for JADCO donation

Published:Friday | January 22, 2021 | 12:13 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Executive Director June Spence Jarrett (second left) goes through the features of a tablet with (from left) Foga Road High Principal Orett Wallace, netballer Kevaunna Tulloch and athlete Franklyn Tayloe as she handed over 25
Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission Executive Director June Spence Jarrett (second left) goes through the features of a tablet with (from left) Foga Road High Principal Orett Wallace, netballer Kevaunna Tulloch and athlete Franklyn Tayloe as she handed over 25 devices at the Clarendon school yesterday.

Twenty-five student athletes at the Foga Road High School in Clarendon were yesterday presented with tablets by the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO).

Foga Road High emerged the winner in the region, having had the most participants in JADCO’s seventh annual junior athletes anti-doping education workshop, hosted virtually this year due to the pandemic.

Principal Orett Wallace was grateful for the donation, saying that they would be of great help as he addressed yesterday’s handover ceremony at the school.

“Twenty-five tablets means 25 more students in classes at Foga Road High,” said an enthused Wallace.

He highlighted that roughly half of the school’s population is unable to participate in online classes due to a lack of devices, adding that it was eating into the school’s budget as costs mount to supply students with printed material.

“I do appreciate having the tablets here at Foga Road. I’ve had parents coming into my office to say, ‘Sir, we need a tablet. My phone is damaged.’ We are a school in the country area, and we are barely reaching 50 per cent of our students virtually. It is very difficult,” said Wallace.

JADCO Executive Director June Spence Jarrett told The Gleaner that her team was strategic in getting devices, ensuring that the devices were SIM card-compatible so students would not be at a disadvantage in the absence of Wi-Fi connectivity.

Speaking with The Gleaner, track and field athlete Franklyn Tayloe expressed gratitude for the device.

“It’s a great feeling to actually have access to a device. I used to log on, but it was very challenging because of Internet issues,” said Franklyn.

Similar sentiments were echoed by netballer Kevaunna Tulloch.

“I feel really good because I use my phone [for classes], which is challenging at times. When using the phone, certain apps can’t open, and you can’t access certain websites, “ she said.

With COVID-19 concerns mounting in the parish, forcing the discontinuation of face-to-face classes at the Glenmuir and Kemps Hill high schools, Wallace told The Gleaner that his team is working closely with the Clarendon Health Department to ensure the safety of students and staff.

According to the principal, more than 200 fifth- and sixth-form students are currently engaged in face-to-face classes at the institution, with plans to incorporate some fourth-form students.

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