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JAM | Mar 10, 2025

Government eyes increased internet access for more schools

/ Our Today

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Fourth- and fifth-form students at Holy Trinity High School in Kingston work on new laptops provided by E-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJam). The first 30 of 68 devices were officially handed over to the institution during a ceremony on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (Photo: JIS/File)

Education Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon says procurement is under way to equip an additional 300 schools across Jamaica with Internet.v

Addressing the meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on March 7, Morris Dixon advised that 600 schools have, so far, benefited from broadband access under the National Broadband Initiative.

She shared that in some schools, broadband access is limited to the administrative offices.

“What we are looking at during the course of this year is how we can do further procurements so that we can extend the bandwidth in the schools, so that the students can actually use the tablets,” she explained.

Minister of Education Dr Dana Morris Dixon (front row, centre), addresses Friday’s (March 7, 2025) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members are reviewing the 2025/26 Estimates of Expenditure. She is accompanied by (front row, left) Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe; principal financial officer, Richard DePasse (right), other ministry executives and heads of agencies. (Photo: JIS)


Meanwhile, Dr. Morris Dixon said efforts are ongoing to eliminate the shift system in schools.

“Currently, we have 27 schools that are still on the shift programme. We expect that over the next two financial years, six additional ones will be taken off and the plan is that by 2028, there will be no schools on shift,” she added.

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