Every world-class school with high-performing students around the world has four things in common; Parental involvement, access to high-quality technology, training, and resources that make learning fun and exciting, and teaching more effective and easier for teachers. As such, the Ministry of Education-approved ‘GRAPES’ (‘Good Remedies All Parents should Exercise Socially’), supported by Microsoft, has initiated an exercise titled ‘The ONE Dollar Laptop for Better Schools‘ to promote Education System Transformation in Trinidad and Tobago.
The initiative is geared towards enhancing the quality of education at schools through technology, parental involvement, sound pedagogical best practices and research, and parent-teacher collaboration to alleviate the epidemic of BAD education in developing countries like Trinidad & Tobago (according to UNESCO). The initiative will incorporate the ‘GRAPES Education Six-Step Model’ that promotes the National Development Strategy (NDS), to ensure that schools become better and are the main catalysts for socio-economic growth and ‘Vision 2030.’
The programme works by providing every student with a new, high-quality 2-in-1 laptop (HP, ACER, ASUS, RCA) at a cost of ONE dollar ($1.00). However, parents MUST subscribe to the ‘GRAPES Education Six-Step Model’ that will provide every student with; expert educational assessments, psychological assessments, and career compatibility assessments (by highly-qualified professionals); to better understand their learning style, psychological capabilities and/or disabilities, future job compatibility, and socio-economic background. Subsequently, a customized student profile and pedagogical recommendation would be submitted to the parent, teacher, and school to facilitate the improvement of grades and/or learning abilities of each student. Thus, preparing each student for success in school and life experiences. The ‘GRAPES Education Six-Step Model’ works and is of paramount importance for the success of the initiative.
The ‘GRAPES Education Six-Step Model’ subscription fee via cash is two thousand and one dollars ($2001.00TTD). Schools will receive five hundred dollars ($500.00) off every package for their parents.
OR
For Payment Plan: A deposit of $501.00 can be made for your first month, and $500.00 can be made each month for three months thereafter to:
- First Citizens Bank Ltd (Throughout Trinidad and Tobago)
- Account name: GRAPES FOR A GOOD LIFE LTD
- Account number: 2 2 1 3 6 8 1
Please confirm your payment by visiting www.grapeseducationgroup.com/payment-confirmation/ or call 1-868-280-LIFE (5433) for immediate assistance.
Please note that the cost of the programme privately is upwards of $10,000.00TT.
In addition to the laptop and assessments students also receive:
- One year of unlimited access to online Mathematics and English Language-Arts practice, in alignment with the local curriculum, that would be monitored by teachers registered with the Ministry of Education Trinidad and Tobago.
- ONE comprehensive introduction to computer literacy and ‘Office 365’ from Microsoft (Certificate of participation for parents and students).
- Monthly reports (by request) on student performance.
SCHOOLS WITH ONE HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS OR MORE WILL RECEIVE:
- A newly constructed computer lab and a donation of ten desktop computers (minimum) or thirty desktop computers (maximum) depending on the availability of stock.
- Complimentary access to Microsoft’s school education platform, for the entire staff and student population.
- Train the Trainer programmes to train the school staff (teachers) in implementing the Microsoft education platform and other technological platforms in the classroom to enhance teaching, learning, student performance, and make the dissemination of information to students easier for teachers.
Included in the package are video guides and courses (For Parents and Teachers) on topics such as:
ELDER ASSOCIATES LTD
- Understanding Childhood Development (Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development)
- Building an educational foundation
ELDER ASSOCIATES LTD
- ‘Coping with Peer Pressure’
UWI (UNIVERSITY LECTURER) – ANDRE HOWARD
- ‘Charting Your Child’s Future’ (career planning)
UWI (UNIVERSITY REGISTRAR’S OFFICE) – NIGEL BRADSHAW
- ‘University /Tertiary Education’
The ‘GRAPES’ program also includes:-
- An interactive chat room for parents who want to engage in meaningful discourse with other parents or stakeholders.
- Schools can also create their own private chat-rooms allowing parents to network with other parents while keeping abreast of the various activities at their children’s schools.
Get your P.T. A. and school involved by having your school’s principal, teacher or P.T.A. executive send us a request via email to ‘info@grapeseducationgroup.com‘ or call us at 1 (868) 280-LIFE (5433). Parents can also register individually by calling 280-LIFE (5433).
Join us on our journey to contribute significantly to Education System Transformation for Socio-Economic Prosperity for ALL.