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Fang Qui, chinese ambassador gives a token to Dabrielle Nurse, prinicpal at the China- Trinidad and Tobago Friendship opening ceremony at the San Juan North Secondary School on Saddle Road, San Juan on September 4. – Photo by Faith Ayoung
SAN JUAN North Secondary School received 22 new Lenovo laptops from the Chinese Embassy on September 4, as part of China’s celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago.
The school, which celebrated its 45th anniversary on September 3, said the laptops will benefit more than 20 per cent of its 950 students, who will likely use them daily.
Principal Dabrielle Nurse said the school had a 100 per cent pass rate in CXC subjects such as digital media and office administration and an 88 per cent pass rate in information technology.
“We are happy for the granting of these devices because it will help our students greatly in the areas they are proficient in.
“Because there is a shortage of laptops in the school, it will also be invaluable for students who have to do school-based assessments (SBA). Even at the lower level, we want to develop their computing skills so when they have to start their SBAs, that kind of foundational knowledge will serve our students well.”
The laptops will be placed in a classroom labelled the China-Trinidad Friendship Room.
Chinese ambassador Fang Qiu described the donation and the unveiling of the room as a significant moment and noted the room was the first of its kind in TT.
“I want to thank the Minister of Education because we share the same thought to create a better environment for young people in this country to achieve academic excellence.”
School officials praised Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly for her role, as MP for the area (St Ann’s East), in connecting the school with the embassy.
This is the latest charitable act in a long-running relationship between the embassy and the school. The embassy donated a Huawei smart board during the early stages of the covid pandemic, and has also sponsored a scholarship programme at the school.
