Fujitsu donates laptops to education ministry

Jamaica Observer, Thursday, September 10, 2009

INFORMATION technology developers Fujitsu have donated five laptop computers to the Ministry of Education to help with the ministry's transformation and modernisation programme.

The machines were handed over by Fujitsu executives during a courtesy call on Education Minister Andrew Holness at his Kingston offices Tuesday.

They will be awarded to ministry employees as part of the staff incentive programme.

"It really is a demonstration of our commitment to the programme of modernisation and transformation, we feel that we have a responsibility to demonstrate our commitment to that," said Fujitsu president and CEO Mervyn Eyre.

"Information technology is a knowledge business so it fundamentally comes down to being able to have a pool of resources available to you that you can use to generate value. At the moment, if one looks at what is being generated out of the education system it really is not sufficient to move at the speed that we want to move."

Eyre said it was Fujitsu's goal to assist in the development of education in Jamaica, and that the donation was a minor demonstration of fulfilling that objective.

He was lauded by Holness, who described the gesture as that of a good corporate citizen. "I am very appreciative that Fujitsu is partnering with the Ministry of Education in meeting our technology targets," Holness said.

"The ministry has to engage in its own staff motivation programme and our human resource department has developed an incentive programme to motivate workers who perform well. They (computers) will be going in areas where the benefits will be bound to the Ministry of Education."

The transformation and modernisation programme is aimed at upgrading and bolstering the education system through the provision of better teaching and school facilities islandwide.

Read the full article