Some 400 teachers and students in Abaco will benefit from the gift of $102,000 thanks to the efforts of Rotary Bahamas and Cable Group of Companies.

Executives of The Ministry of Education (MOE) accepted the donation from Rotary and Cable representatives during a ceremony at the MOE, Thursday, November, 26, 2020. The funds will go towards the purchase of data packages (MiFi devices and tablets).

Among those present were: Kendrick Delaney, Rev/Head of Digital Growth; Ken Strachan, Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas East/Assistant Governor; Dr. Marcellus Taylor, Director of Education and Lorraine Armbrister, Permanent Secretary.

Carla Card-Stubbs, Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas West/Assistant Governor, said bridging the digital divide may be an insurmountable task but efforts must be made towards achieving the goal.

“This is an important time for citizens to step up and take ownership of our community, society and children,” she said.

The Hon. Jeffrey Lloyd, Minister of Education, thanked Rotary Bahamas for the generous donation.

“I commend you and I am grateful to you,” he said. “Despite the great effort and adventure of the MOE in making possible the continuation of education for our children, there is still an arduous task to get to our people an understanding of how important education is.

“Despite our best efforts, unless we have stakeholder involvement, like parents and the community, we are almost kind of working against ourselves.”

Two hundred devices are en route to Abaco, and students are expected to begin receiving them as of next week. 

The devices are for educational use only. Students and teachers must follow the guidelines within the contract. Connectivity will be lost it they are not used for the intended purpose. The educational platform is available until June 2021. (BIS Photos/Kristaan Ingraham)

By Kathryn Campbell