The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) was the recipient of a recent donation of tablets and a laptop, which were donated by MC Systems, the technology company of the Jamaica National Group.
Audrey Budhi, director of Children and Family Programmes, at the CPFSA, expressed her gratitude for the donation.
This donation has come at an opportune time as we all have been impacted by the pandemic. It has been a life-changing experience for all of us and more so for our children. And so we are quite pleased that a donation such as this will help with the preparation of our children for online learning.
“We are truly and profoundly grateful for these devices, which we have received from MC Systems. Actually, MC Systems is the first company which has reached out to us, and for that we are grateful,” she said.
Budhi said the devices would be used by wards of the State, who matriculated to the tertiary level; noting that this year, the children who sat the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations (CSEC) had done extremely well.
“One of our wards who benefited from the gift is 18-year-old Ainsley Rodhen, who passed nine subjects this year to complete grade 11 with 14 CSEC subjects. The former B.B. Coke High School student received seven distinctions, seven credits, and a pass,” she noted. He is currently attending the Caribbean Maritime University, where he is pursuing a degree in logistics and supply-chain management, she noted.
Budhi noted that other students who benefited are attending The University of the West Indies, the G.C. Foster of Physical Education and Sport, and Churches Teachers’ College.
Dodgry Newell, senior manager, customer experience, at MC Systems, said that the company was delighted to donate the electronics to the CPFSA.
“We recognise that many children are at a disadvantage during this COVID-19 pandemic due to the lack of resources, specifically computers and tablets, to engage in online learning. We, therefore, hope that this donation will assist the wards at the CPFSA,” Newell said.
He underscored that MC Systems deemed it a privilege to assist the agency in this manner.
“Our children and young people are the future. Education is critical for them and the nation. To be a competitive person in our modern world is impossible without receiving a good education, and it is not possible to be a strong nation or country without well-developed and educated citizens,” he emphasised.