Laptops for nation’s students arrive

News Ken Chee Hing 23 Hrs Ago

In this screen-grab taken from a Facebook 'live' video, Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath holds a laptop while TSTT's Acting CEO Keino Cox, left, holds the backpack for the laptops as Padarath announced on November 25, the arrival of the laptops for the nation's secondary school students. At right is TSTT chairman Kern Dass. -

PUBLIC Utilities Minister Barry Padarath announced, via social media on November 25, that laptops have arrived in Trinidad in time for a Christmas gift from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to the nation's schoolchildren.

Saying this was yet another general election promise being kept, Padarath spoke on location at TTPost headquarters in Piarco in a 'live' video post on Facebook.

Padarath said that as the lead ministry for the laptops in schools programme, the Public Utilities Ministry tasked state telecoms company bmobile/TSTT to be the procurement agent for the initiative.

Also on location in the TTPost head office, along with Padarath, were TSTT chairman Kern Dass and acting CEO Keino Cox.

"We thank all responsible for assisting in these efforts in terms getting these laptops on the ground," Padarath said adding that over the next week, most of the laptops would be in TT and then they would be handed over to the Ministry of Education for distribution to secondary school students across the nation.

"This is a significant initiative of returning to our schools, a very progressive step initiated by the prime minister to put technology back in the hands of our nation's children to give them a competitive advantage for our future," Padarath said.

He said the government was very careful in selecting the proper and most appropriate pre-loaded contents for the laptops which also come with a padded backpack for easy storage. He said the backpacks also have a charging port which means the laptops can be connected to a charger without even having to be taken out of the backpack.

He said the Ministry of Education will reveal further details in the coming days.

"I am very happy with the timing of the arrival as it would mean a special Christmas gift from our prime minister to the nation's students," Padarath said as he thanked other agencies including the Cutoms and Excise department, TTPost and others for collaborating with his ministry and bmobile/TSTT to ensure the initiative was a success.