AFUWI launches campaign for laptops, tablets for UWI students
Published:Saturday | May 2, 2020 | 12:06 AM
The American Foundation for The University of the West Indies (AFUWI) has launched a campaign to acquire laptops and tablets for students of the University of the West Indies (UWI) , Mona, Jamaica, who are facing challenges accessing online classes, now mandatory because of COVID-19. This initiative is in close collaboration with the alumni chapters of New York, Florida and Washington DC .
The university shifted course delivery and the majority of its assessment instruments online, effective April 14, after a one-month break, in response to government-mandated COVID-19 social-distancing guidelines. The university has also announced that there will be no face-to-face examinations this semester, and they will instead use asynchronous assessment methods like coursework, take-home assignments and projects, during the new exam period of June 15 to July 3.
Ann-Marie Grant, executive director of AFUWI, noted that “these changes in the delivery of classes and programmes at The UWI make it even more urgent that the students have laptops or tablets. Unfortunately, some of them simply cannot afford to purchase these items and, since they are not able to access the facilities on campus or share with other students because of social distancing strictures, they are at a distinct disadvantage.”
Grant noted that approximately 2,000 students are in need of assistance, and that The UWI had so far acquired 500 tablets and negotiated with the Government of Jamaica to have the UWI-related website zero-rated. “Our project is targeting the purchase of 200 laptops and tablets, which will be loaned to students for use now and through the exam period, then retrieved for use by the next generation of students. We are asking for donations of US$10 or more during the period April 20 to May 20, to help these students achieve their dreams of a university degree,” she explained further.
Donations to the Laptops and tablets for UWI students fund may be sent as follows:
Donate online: www.afuwi.org
Gofundme: Laptops and tablets for students at home.
Donate by phone: Text to pledge: (864) 402-8943 keyword: Donate.