Government said its One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project is picking up pace with application forms dispatched to Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10 for persons to uplift from their Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, Regional Democratic Councils and the OLPF head office located on Lamaha Street, Georgetown.
The trainers, from Region Three, were engaged is an orientation session Wednesday at the OLPF’s Duke and Barrack Streets office, Kingston, Georgetown location. Training is scheduled to last from May 18 to June 10, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and is expected to equip trainers from Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and 10 with the knowledge they need about the project and the modules they will be delivering.
Trainer Manager Allan Bakker noted that the orientation process is to familiarise the persons who applied to be trainers of the OLPF programme, what the programme is about, and the modules to be delivered.
The areas covered in the interactive discussions include the components of the OLPF, what has to be done, management structures, local administration, the accelerated and exponential learning techniques, components to be delivered to the trainees and code of conduct.
Trainer Manager Allan Bakker taking the potential trainers through the components of the OLPF programme
Bakker noted that thus far there are 265 applicants and more persons are still applying. The trainers are being engaged in small batches so as to ensure they understand their duties and clarify concerns. Following the orientation sessions the trainers will meet again to become acquainted with the material to be delivered, work on teaching techniques and be accredited. The OLPF programme is the brainchild of President Bharrat Jagdeo which seeks to empower poor and working class Guyanese with the means of developing their educational abilities, livelihood and personal ambitions through the use of technology.
The project is slated to be carried out over a two-year period and places laptop computers in the hands of 90,000 families. The families who receive the laptops are expected to do some amount of community service. The provision of training, technical support and internet access are being established via a network of 200 hubs, of which community-based organisations, youth groups, learning institutions and religious entities are vying to be accredited.
