Premier, Attorney General to present laptop samples to Nevis schools

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Hon. Patrice Nisbett (Photo courtesy of Nevis GIS)

BASSETERE, ST. KITTS, SEPTEMBER 8TH 2010 (CUOPM) – It appears likely that samples of the laptops earmarked for high school students in the twin-island Federation will be presented to the two high schools in Nevis by that island’s Premier, Hon. Joseph Parry and Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Hon. Patrice Nisbett.

Responding to a caller from Nevis on his weekly radio call in programme “Ask the Prime Minister” on Tuesday, Dr. Douglas reaffirmed that the Fifth Form students attending the Charlestown Secondary School and the Gingerland High School in Nevis will not be left out of his Federal Government’s One-to-One Laptop Project.

“I have insisted from the very beginning that the project must cover the entire Federation’s high school (Fifth Form) students and so we have made provisions for the students in Nevis at the same time as the students in St. Kitts,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

Last week Federal Minister of Information, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty announced that samples of the laptops will be presented to the high schools in St. Kitts during the visits by Prime Minister Douglas and his Cabinet.

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas (left) and Premier of Nevis, Hon. Joseph Parry

“The mechanics of giving the first few samples to the schools of Nevis will be worked out, because normally we do visit to schools in St. Kitts. Whether I do this personally or the Premier (Hon. Joseph Parry) will do it on the island of Nevis. I think I will have the Premier of Nevis together with the Federal Attorney General Hon. Patrice Nisbett do the honours. I am not certain if I will be there, but definitely the Premier will be engaged in his exercise,” Dr. Douglas said.

In the Post Cabinet briefing, Sen. Carty disclosed that the manufacturer of the laptop computers has been requested to produce a customized version of the device that uses anti-theft GPS technology and other security features.

The One-to-One Laptop Project will be rolled out in three phases given the approximately 6,500 laptop computers that have to be custom-manufactured to meet the specific objectives.

“November 2010 has been identified as the date for the first phase, with two other phases early in the New year, 2011. The phasing of the project provides a better opportunity to ensure that proper platforms and procedures are developed to make the project highly successful,” said Minister Carty.