School gets computers, books from Chile Govt

Smiles lit up the faces of students of the Canaan Presbyterian School, San Fernando, yesterday, after they received ten new computers and reading material from the Chilean Government. Patricio Pradel, Chilean ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, unveiled the line-up of Dell computers, a Hewlett Packard printer and a wireless router along with a library of English/Spanish books, including dictionaries and an encyclopedia. In a short handing-over ceremony at the church next to the school at Duncan Village, Pradel told students and staff that although the contribution was small, he was confident it would assist to improve the children’s future.

 

He said his Government, like Trinidad and Tobago’s, had placed great emphasis on creating better opportunities for children. He said computers and books could enhance their quality of education. Pradel said in recent years, Chile had opened its doors to the world by co-operating in areas such as agriculture, energy, natural disasters and education. He said the donation to T&T came out of a Chilean Government programme, Escuelas Chile (Schools for Chile), which was administered through the embassy in Port-of-Spain. The link between the Canaan Presbyterian Primary School and the Chilean Government was made through schoolteacher Marsha Dass, who was awarded a scholarship to spend six months in Chile last year.

 

Dass and other teachers from around the country enrolled in a six-month diploma course in Spanish language teaching methodology at the Metropolitan University of Educational Science, Santiago. A class of pupils gathered yesterday at the school’s computer lab where they sat around their new computers which the ambassador helped them to start up. Principal Daniel Sahadeo said the gift was significant and beneficial to the children and would raise the standard of education at the school. He assured Pradel the computers would be put to good use.