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Education Minister: Loan Programme for laptop use coming

- public schools reopen May 4, 2020 via virtual means
In short order, parents with children in public schools who do not have access to laptops will be required to pay a ‘minimal fee’ for their children to be allowed to utilise Government laptops. Photo: VINO
Minister for Education Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said discussions are underway to allow parents to purchase laptops from Government for their children on a rent-to-own basis. Photo: VINO/File
Minister for Education Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said discussions are underway to allow parents to purchase laptops from Government for their children on a rent-to-own basis. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- In short order, parents with children in public schools who do not have access to laptops will be required to pay a ‘minimal fee’ for their children to be allowed to utilise Government laptops.

This was one of the announcements by Minister for Education Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) while addressing the Remote Learning Orientation for Parent’s Forum on social media on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

With the presence of the Novel Coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, in the Virgin Islands, public schools were closed and students were being engaged remotely.

“You have to pay to get access to the device and those persons who have used the device and have damaged them, you know that there is a replacement cost to the device,” he told parents.

He added: “No student will be able to participate in that programme until they pay the replacement cost for the device which have been damaged.”

During the orientation programme, a large number of persons took the opportunity to inform the Government that their children needed laptops.

Laptops are government-owned!

The Minister also clarified that students and parents should not get the "wrong idea" that the laptops belong to them because they are paying a fee.

"This is not the case," he said.

“It is important to say that this is a loan programme and so these devices will remain the property of the Government of the Virgin Islands so that other persons who are coming into the system will have access to these devices,” Hon Wheatley pointed out.

He said, however, discussions are underway to allow parents to purchase these laptops for their children on a rent-to-own basis.

“Certainly I am entertaining and exploring the possibility of facilitating the programme where persons can rent to own the laptop, where you pay something every month and then you would be able to keep a laptop. We are still exploring the possibility of that and announcements will be forthcoming as it pertains to the rent-to-own programme. But right now we are establishing just the loan programme,” he stated.

Minister Wheatley also said if there are inadequate devices per child, or if the children have other hurdles at home, the ministry will be exploring other avenues to ensure that every child is facilitated.

Meanwhile, public schools will reopen on Monday, May 4, 2020, and, according to Acting Chief Education Officer Ms Connie E. George, the Education Ministry is tentatively looking at July 10, 2020, for schools to close.

Some private schools reopened for the 'Trinity Term' this week.

9 Responses to “Education Minister: Loan Programme for laptop use coming”

  • GG (29/04/2020, 09:49) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
    Seems like school shut down for the rest of the year... Lot more , Econmical, Physical, mental and emotional strain on Children and Parents, kids been home this long is a lot of STRESS...
    • @wow (29/04/2020, 11:47) Like (8) Dislike (5) Reply
      Well, do you have another solution? The Education Minister is doing the best that he can to correct the problem. Rome was not built in a day.
  • Old news (29/04/2020, 09:51) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    No new results
  • The new norm (29/04/2020, 11:12) Like (2) Dislike (8) Reply
    Get use to working from home, doing schooling from home, get use to struggling for food, limited free time on the outside, this is the new world order, I mean the new regular
  • He ? (29/04/2020, 14:28) Like (7) Dislike (8) Reply
    CANT FILL MYRON SHOES
  • Local (30/04/2020, 12:56) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    All these fees and fees and the government still ain't talking about money for the persons who are affected by covid19. What are we going to pay these fees with?
  • Hmm (01/05/2020, 14:16) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    How can we apply for a laptop for our kids. What about kids who needs tutoring
  • wow (02/05/2020, 01:51) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    How is it this government always taking and not giving back to the tax payers! Pay a fee and the have to return the said laptops, what sense does that make? What is the fee for and at the end when the laptop is returned will the fees collected be returned. How about a signed agreement between the parents and school that if the laptop is damaged they will have to pay to repair/ replace it if need be. Think about the community for once people are struggling with no certainty when normalcy will return.smdh
  • Cat Eye (02/05/2020, 20:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply

    School is starting Monday right an it still has children in the community without laptops internet access at home parents without a job! Is the government looking into this? Were parents supposed to get money from to pay for these things? Come on government of British Virgin Islands poor people are crying



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