Jamaica Bauxite Mining donates tablets to primary schools

At the opening of its new offices in Ocho Rios last Friday, Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited (JBM) handed over 75 tablets to three St Ann schools – Lime Hall Primary School, Steer Town Primary and Junior High School, and Exchange All-Age School. Each school is expected to get 25 tablets.

Principal at Exchange All-Age School in St Ann, Ricardo Moncrieffe, said he is thankful for his school receiving tablets from JBM.

Moncrieffe told The Gleaner that the students will benefit immensely from using the tablets, and appealed for more donations of the devices to close the shortfall.

“Certainly, we’re grateful for the initiative and I know the students will benefit greatly,” Moncrieffe told The Gleaner.

“We have been embarking on programmes to garner sponsorship for some students, we still have maybe about 150 students who are without devices, so this will help to alleviate some of the challenges that we are having,” he added.

The school, which had 450 students enrolled, is now down to 360 students owing to the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing pandemic and the resultant financial challenges has made it difficult parents to find devices for their children to access online learning.

Apart from the students, teachers too are facing similar challenges.

“Any assistance that can be had will be greatly appreciated because currently not only the students are affected by lack of devices; teachers too have had challenges in the past,” Moncrieffe said.

“You understand the usage of tablets they can last for so long and no more, so over time then certainly those are going to go so we still solicit any support we can get from corporate society to assist our nation’s children and, in fact, our educators.”

Exchange All-Age School was not among the list of schools to reopen in November, but the principal said the school is being prepared for reopening at a later date.

“We are putting plans in place, so as soon as we get the go-ahead then certainly we’ll be ready for face-to-face,” Moncrieffe said.