1,500 vulnerable households to get technology boost
Published:Friday | October 21, 2022 | 12:05 AM
FLOW JAMAICA is to start offering bundled Internet packages that will include laptops and training at a subsidised rate to selected vulnerable households as a means of spurring economic and social development.
The pilot will initially supply 1,500 households across Jamaica.
The data gathered from the pilot will inform Flow on steps to widen the project.
Households will pay $800 a month for the service worth at least five times more at current market rates.
“The pilot will be rolling out in days,” stated Stephen Price, Flow Jamaica country manager, at the launch on Wednesday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston.
The households will receive devices, particularly a HP laptop, Internet connectivity and digital skills training.
Educational entities OneonOne Limited, an online platform, and the Caribbean School of Data, with its implementing partner Mona School of Management and Business, will provide the training.
“From a cost perspective, we are sharing the partnership in terms of education fees and digital literacy fees,” said Price in a question-and-answer session.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has issued some 40,000 laptops to students to facilitate online learning to counter the disruption to face-to-face learning and reduce the spread of the virus.
The Flow project, called Jump, aims to build on the Government's thrust by targeting vulnerable households that are likely to continue to fall behind in connectivity and education.
Price said that overtime, the initiative will positively impact graduation rates, jobs, financial inclusion and overall economic growth.
“Jump is our new programme to bridge the digital divide,” he said. “We will be measuring success at every stage. So, we have a mark for three months, six months and so on, just to make sure we are collecting the data as we go,” he explained.
The launch was endorsed by Karl Samuda, minister of labour and social security; and Daryl Vaz, minister of science, energy and technology.
The 1,500 households will be chosen from a list under the Government's Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) programme.