The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has donated 100 smart devices to the Ministry of Education as part of its Adopt-a-School Programme.
Speaking at the Handing Over Ceremony which took place at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Port of Spain on Friday, Education Minister Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said these kinds of donations ensure that children are not only given the practical support that is needed, but emotional support as well.
“The resources themselves say something. But what it also shows our students is that other people are interested in them. And where we are speaking about students for the challenges, these students may come from families where they are not recognised or celebrated as children and therefore they feel worthless, they feel useless, and when somebody that they don’t know gives to their school and they benefit, they get a sense of belonging. They get a sense that they are worth something. So the donation itself is valuable but the act can also mean the world of difference to a child that feels that they are literally unseen.”
Representing the United Nations Refugee Agency was Head of the National Office, Amanda Solano Badilla, who noted that such support was aimed at easing social inequalities that exist in schools.
“For today’s event, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, is donating 100 smart devices to the Ministry’s programme, Adopt-a-School Programme, another great example of collaboration to tackle the social inequalities. We trust that this donation would support teachers and students with developing essential literacy and numeracy skills.”
Minister Gadsby-Dolly said since the inception of the Adopt-a-School Programme, the response from Corporate T&T has been “excellent,” noting that it has helped to match donors with schools that are in need of resources.