As Jamaican schools pivot to remote learning in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the concern around students not having the requisite technology to participate is at an all-time high.

To help ensure that no student gets left behind for this reason, NCB Financial Group Limited has pledged $50 million to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s (MOEYI) A Device for Every Child Initiative. 

The donation is aimed at covering the cost of approximately 1,400 of the 100,000 devices that the initiative is seeking to acquire.

While the education ministry has already provided almost 65,000 students on the Program of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) with laptops and tablets, it has identified the need for an additional 100,000 devices to assist students studying at the primary and secondary levels.

“We believed it was important for us to step up and support the Government of Jamaica with this initiative,” said Patrick Hylton, president and CEO of NCB Financial Group Limited.

Hylton noted that education has always been the primary area of focus for the NCB Foundation since its inception in 2003 and that, with the unexpected and broad-scale shift to remote learning, many Jamaican children were now unable to access their education due to lack of Internet access and availability of devices.

Said Hylton: “It is imperative to participate in bridging this divide. We are calling on everyone to come on board for the sake of our children and the future of Jamaica.”

He added: “This contribution is not only so our students are not left behind during this unprecedented period, but also so they can participate in a global society that has made a huge digital leap forward, precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. If they are unable to make this leap, it will have negative implications for Jamaica’s future economic prospects. Hence we are committed to supporting our nation’s children in this game-changing initiative.”

In addition to the donation, the NCB Foundation has committed its support to the development of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s Connect a Child JA donation portal.

By visiting the connectachildja.com website, individuals and corporations in Jamaica and overseas will be able to make donations to the initiative, or to a specific institution using their credit card or via bank transfer. 

NCB Financial Group Limited has consistently supported local education, including with its recent commitment of $25 million to fund the NCB Foundation’s successful Level Up Grant.

Through partnership with Internet Income Jamaica and iCreate, the Foundation funded training and certification for persons who suffered loss of income due to the pandemic, so that they could qualify for online employment opportunities. Since then, the Foundation said beneficiaries of the programme have collectively earned close to US$100,000.