Couva Anglican Primary School is the second beneficiary of the blink | bmobile Foundation’s a Corporate Social Responsibility Programme to promote youth development initiatives in the areas of culture, sport, education and health.
The first school to benefit from the project was the Holistic School in St. Anns in April.
Couva Anglican Primary School students discuss the books on their new tablets with George Hill, Acting CEO, blink | bmobile.
Under this programme the foundation will support 12 schools in the current school year to bridge the digital divide. TSTT plans to complete the project by the end of the current school term.
Mr Hill officially handed over 10 new Kindle e-reader tablets to the school’s library in early May, each complete with a black case, and already loaded with a variety of books likely to appeal to children.
Thanking Hill and the Foundation for the e-readers, School Principal Peter Padmore noted that not everyone liked books and it was important to encourage children to read by tapping into what they’re interested in. Library Assistant Kanika Kirton confirmed that the pupils were more interested in reading on the tablets than regular books.
Senior Teacher Thecla Huggins-Stanley said she would like to see this digital library include more Caribbean literature and local children’s stories. As the Foundation continues to assist schools, Hill said schools from even the far-reaching points of Trinidad and Tobago will be included in this initiative: “We believe that children in the cities and children on the edges of the country should have the same experience in learning. We want to ensure that there is an equal distribution of electronics and knowledge to all of the children of the nation. We want to make sure we are a part of developing them.”
It’s not just about selling consumer products, Hill added. It’s about Corporate Social Responsibility and this is an opportunity to marry education and technology to develop the children and our future workforce.
The campaign, which blends technology with the company’s CSR financing, will include tablets for primary schools, LTE wireless broadband to underserved areas, a fibre-optic network expansion and an upcoming program to help lower performing schools.
