Vaz warns of possible humanitarian disaster

A senior member of the Andrew Holness-led Government has warned of dire consequences for the country if policy makers fail to find ways to return an estimated 120,000 students to school.

These children, according to Education Minister Fayval Williams, have been absent from classes in the last year as teaching moved primarily online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This is not just the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information. We must find them or face one of the greatest humanitarian disasters that this country will ever see in the not too distant future," Daryl Vaz, technology minister, said in Parliament yesterday.

Vaz said that his ministry is prepared to "move the ground" to provide the technological resources to connect those children. He said that the Last Mile Initiative, which was announced in December, is critical to rescuing children who have fallen out of the system. The initiative is built around an ambitious plan to have all houses in Jamaica connected to the Internet in just over four years.

Deserve a brighter future

"We are moving with lightning speed to complete the Last Mile Initiative because every Jamaican deserves to have access to the Internet and we are determined to bring back 120,000 school children who have fallen out of the system. They deserve a brighter future," Vaz said. He said that his 2025 timeline for the initiative is no political bluster.

"I meant every word of that statement because it is grounded in the reality that when we are challenged as a nation, we always rise above the occasion," he said. Vaz said that his statement was informed by the facts on the ground in regards to the availability of broadband infrastructure in Jamaica.

"The challenge, therefore, is for the Government to develop legislative policies and regulatory frameworks that are reflective of the Government's goal of universal access. We are awaiting some expert assistance from the European Union and the International Telecommunications Union. We are in a hurry to build a brighter future for our people with lightning speed," Vaz said.