USF clarifies role in Tablet in Schools programme

KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Universal Service Fund (USF) has moved to clarify its role in it the Tablet in Schools programme, following concerns raised by Member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal, Phillip Paulwell, regarding the pace of device distribution to students. In a press release, the USF said while it shares the goal of getting technology to Jamaican students, it is not the driver or the implementing agency for the programme. The fund said its role is to provide financial support to e-Learning Jamaica, which has responsibility for executing and implementing the initiative.

The USF said it currently provides approximately $700 million annually to e-Learning, with funding paid directly to the agency. USF Chief Executive Officer Charlton McFarlane, said it is important for the public to understand the respective roles of the agencies involved. “The USF is a funder of the Tablet in Schools Programme; we are not the implementing agency.

Our responsibility is to provide the financial support to e-Learning Jamaica, which then determines and executes the programme based on its mandate and resources,” McFarlane said. He noted that, despite the significant annual investment, the funding is not enough to provide a device for every student in the public education system, given the size of the student population and procurement costs. “We recognise that there is still a significant gap to be addressed when it comes to device access.

However, closing that gap requires more than one programme or one agency. It requires sustained investment and collaboration across the education and technology sectors,” McFarlane said. In addition to funding e-Learning, the USF said it runs its own initiatives to reduce the digital divide.

These include the Connect-A-Child Programme, which targets high-achieving students from lower-income households. The programme recently saw the USF invest $34 million to provide tablets for 630 high-achieving students who sat the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations. McFarlane said initiatives such as Connect-A-Child, demonstrate the USF’s commitment to addressing device access while complementing the work of other Government agencies.

“Connect-A-Child is one example of how the USF is directly contributing to closing the device-access gap. We are investing in our young people because access to technology is no longer a luxury; it is an…