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Labour for Learning: Victoria Mutual gifts students with laptops, data


When schools were closed and classes moved online in March as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, many students faced a major challenge because of a lack of resources.

Among the hardest hit were students preparing for CSEC exams.

Without laptops, cell phones and data service, many of these promising students faced an uphill climb to successfully sit this critical exam. The Victoria Mutual Group (VM), therefore, decided to step in, in a big way.

VM’s 2020 Labour Day project dubbed ‘Labour for Learning’ saw the organisation donating ‘Digital Education Kits’ to 21 students across the island.

The kits include a laptop equipped with Microsoft Office Suite, and a smartphone equipped with a three-month data plan, providing a significant boost to students who had been struggling to keep up with their peers who already had the tools to transition seamlessly to online classes.

When approached by VM, Courts Jamaica and Flow immediately bought into the idea and provided the items in the kit to VM at a reduced cost.

Levelling the playing field VM Group’s Assistant Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Communications Clover Moore said that VM’s Labour or Learning initiative is in keeping with the financial group’s focus on inclusion.

“The move to online learning has highlighted the inequity that exists in the country and the way that it can stymie the progress of our students. It’s not enough to be hardworking, students must have access to the necessary tools so that they can excel. Access and inclusion have been part of what drives the Victoria Mutual Group since our founding, and we are happy to step in and help level the playing field for these students who are doing the right thing by working hard but for whom a lack of resources has been a major stumbling block. We are thrilled to provide that missing link for them so that they can achieve their full potential,” she said.

Among the recipients of VM’s Digital Education Kits was 17-year-old Javanah Brooks, a fifth-form student of St George’s College in Kingston.

Brooks lives in the tough inner-city community of Arnett Gardens and is subject to the many well-known challenges and temptations of living in a gritty Kingston community. His father passed away when he was only a year old, leaving a significant gap in his life.

However, with support from his older brother, his mother and teachers, Brooks is excelling in school and will be sitting eight CSEC exams in July.

A big surprise When Brooks visited VM’s Half-Way Tree Branch on Saturday May 23, he was in for a big surprise. When asked by Branch Manager Allison Morgan how he was managing preparations for his impending exams, Brooks bit his bottom lip and explained that he was struggling, as classes have been taking place via Zoom, the online meeting platform.

“But I don’t have a laptop or a smartphone, so I can’t join the Zoom classes. This is a challenge for me because interaction helps me to learn better,” he said. Unable to attend classes, Brooks routinely calls his teachers and classmates at night to talk about lessons that were taught in the online classes. “My teachers are always there for me and they help me to keep up as much as possible.” Brooks was overcome when Morgan revealed that he would be receiving a VM Digital Education Kit, providing him with the access he yearned for and enabling him to stay on top of his lessons as the CSEC exams draw near.

“I really want to thank Victoria Mutual for helping me in my studies and giving me an opportunity to make a future for myself and my family,” he said.

Orane Shaw, Brooks’ Physics teacher at St George’s College also thanked VM for intervening.

“This is really a great initiative. We’re all aware of the challenges being faced by many students and even teachers. As someone in the education field I can say that what VM is doing really means a lot,” he said.

Presentations to deserving students continued on Sunday and Monday across the island.



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