Penal students to get government laptops on November 27

Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath shows one of the laptops to be distributed to students in TT. -

THE Ministry of Education will begin distributing the first batch of laptops to students on November 27.

The ministry announced the decision in a media release on November 26, adding that students of Penal Secondary School will be the first beneficiaries.

The distribution ceremony will be attended by Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath, senior executives of the ministry and other government officials.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Barry Padarath announced on November 25 that laptops have arrived in Trinidad and Tobago in time for a Christmas gift from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to the nation's schoolchildren.

He noted this was another campaign promise kept by the UNC government.

Speaking at TTPost headquarters in Piarco, 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.

"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.