Education Ministry To Find Out Why Some Persons Have Not Redeemed Electronic Vouchers

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be examining the ‘Own Your Own Device Incentive Programme’ to determine why more persons have not redeemed their electronic vouchers.

Speaking in the House of Representatives on May 5, Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, said in terms of the “Own Your Own Device, we have actually issued 20,207 vouchers, but when we look at how many have been actually redeemed, only 9,524 have been redeemed. We are going to look at the programme to see what’s stopping people from redeeming,” she said.

The Own Your Own Device incentive programme is an initiative through which the Government is assisting with the purchase of tablets or laptops for students who are in need but are not on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). It will benefit needy students in primary and secondary schools across the island.

Under the programme, parents or guardians will receive an electronic voucher (eVoucher) valued at $20,000 for the purchase of a device from an approved vendor.

Parents or guardians will be responsible for the difference in the cost of the laptop or tablet.

Leader of the Opposition, Mark Golding, suggested that Members of Parliament could be provided with a listing of vouchers issued, but not redeemed in their constituency. “That would be very helpful,” he said.