De Coteau: Battle to deliver SEA laptops

Minister in the Ministry of Education Clifton de Coteau says Government is engaged in a battle to deliver its first batch of laptops to students who sat the 2011 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA.) Yesterday, De Coteau, addressing the launch of GTECH’s After School Advantage Programme at the National Centre for Persons with Disabilities, said last year, both he and Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh fought “what seemed like an uphill battle to ensure that this promise (of laptops) was fulfilled.” He added: “I just came from another meeting where we were fighting another battle to make sure we deliver these laptops on time in September.

“Once again, we are in the midst of securing another batch of laptops for our 2011 SEA students,  approximately 17,300 of them, who will soon be entering secondary school.” When pressed by reporters following the function, to elaborate on the “battle” for the laptops, De Coteau said there were no difficulties with the laptops. “The point is our Prime Minister promised laptops and you have notebooks and you have netbooks and you see we are committed to laptops and we are going to deliver the laptops,” he added. Pressed further to elaborate on the “uphill battle,” the minister said:  “Let’s leave it at that, we have challenges.” He said finances were not the problem, “It’s just challenges at this time. I will leave at that.”
De Coteau said over the next five years it was anticipated that 86,000 students and about 4,000 teachers would receive laptops.

GTECH, a leading gaming technology and Services Company, donated ten computers, equipped with special technology accessories for use by the impaired, costing US $15,000. De Coteau commended the company for its corporate social responsibility. He said: “The gift that you are giving today far transcends the computers themselves. “You are giving the gift of an opportunity to succeed in life and pursue dreams that seemed to be just out of reach, opportunities for equal opportunity for students of this centre, to level the playing field for students who have been told all their life they could not.” De Coteau said as a society citizens must stop marginalising people with disabilities.

He said: “Sometimes they possess an even greater fire and drive to succeed than many of their peers. They are part of our society. They should be embraced and supported and must be treated equally.” He said the ministry was working towards introducing neuro-diagnostic testing for students. He said: “The aim is simply earlier detection diagnosis and treatment of disabilities. “It means students have a better chance of having problems corrected and receive the follow-up care or guidance they need to aid in their physical, mental and social development.”

Donald R Sweitzer, chairman GTECH Corporation, said the after-school programme was just the beginning “since our plan is to upgrade and increase the number of computers in the After School Advantage Programme Centres in (T&T) throughout the year.” GTECH has ten centres in operation locally at various schools throughout T&T.