Maverley gets Wi-Fi hotspot
Published:Wednesday | August 17, 2022 | 12:07 AM
Residents of Maverley in St Andrew North Western have welcomed the installation of a state-sponsored community Wi-Fi hotspot by the Universal Service Fund (USF), an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology.
The network has four access points and a radius of 800 feet, and can accommodate up to 200 persons at the same time.
Recardo Valentine, principal of the Pembroke Hall Primary School, speaking at the launch of the project on Monday, said the facility was a clear necessity, especially for students.
“When I was going to school and you asked what the basic needs were for a child, people would tell you food, clothing and shelter. It doesn’t stop there now. It’s food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and Wi-Fi. Internet access now is a basic need for a 21st century learner.”
He continued: “No longer will we hear students telling our teachers that they weren’t able to do homework because they didn’t get the WhatsApp messages or the emails because now you have free internet service, free Wi-Fi. No child will be successful in school without having internet and using it for the right purpose.”
It was especially good news for Jadan Hibberts, a young resident of Maverley, who had struggled to keep up with online classes over the past months.
“I got a device but I didn’t have any internet, so I missed like three quarters of school so that was a major issue. I didn’t get to do much, but I still did my best,” he said.
St Andrew North Western Member of Parliament Dr Nigel Clarke said that the network would help with the development of the community.
“The more developed people around us are is the more developed we become. So, we have a vested interest in making sure that as many people as possible have the development opportunities that the internet provides,” Clarke said.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Andrew Harris, councillor for the Maverley division, said the community was chosen for the project as it played “an important role in the division and in the constituency”.
Clarke, who is also the minister of finance, agreed.
“So here we’re doing it in Maverley because Maverley is a concentration of talent, a concentration of young people, a concentration of transformational potential, and by catching people when they’re young and by making sure ... that all of the children of Maverley have an opportunity to transform themselves and to develop and to become who God wants them to be,” he said.