Residents of Jacklow Village, Lower Pomeroon, will have internet access in and around their community before the end of September 2019.
The primary school in the community will be connected and residents will be able to access e-Government services for the first time via satellite.
This was promised to the residents by Public Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes during a recent community meeting at the Jacklow Primary School.
According to the schedule drawn up by the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) e-Government Unit, the satellite dish that was installed recently in Jacklow will go live in August. Minister Hughes gave a commitment that soon, thereafter, she would return to deliver computer tablets for students to use.
“The computers will be of immense help to all the students, and my Ministry’s Training Department will come back and hold computer literacy classes for anyone in this community,” she assured them.
“When you are able to connect to the internet, it means that you will not have to travel up the river to Charity, or go all the way to Georgetown to conduct your business with the NIS, the GRA or the Passport office. You will be able to talk to family and friends on the internet anywhere, whether they are in Guyana or not”.
Jacklow is one of seven communities along the Pomeroon River soon to benefit from internet connectivity via satellite dishes. The dishes were installed in recent months in Kabakaburi, Siriki, Saint Nicholas Mission, Jacklow, St Monica-Karawab and Akawini. They will all be activated before September.
Minister Hughes said that this initiative is part of the Government’s programme to supply the means for citizens to become computer literate at least, no matter where in Guyana they live and work.
To date, the NDMA/e-Government Unit has installed connections for free internet at more than 170 community Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs, 175 primary schools, 102 secondary schools, 37 technical and other tertiary institutes, and 120 government ministries and agencies.
