According to UNESCO, more than 1.5 billion students and youth across the planet are or have been affected by school and university closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic continues to have a huge impact on global education. As one of the pillars of its Foundation, bmobile has always been committed to contributing to the education of Trinidad and Tobago’s youth and therefore the company immediately stepped to the forefront from the advent of COVID-19 and the cessation of in-class teaching locally, to ensure that as many students as possible can continue their education virtually.

In April, over 20,000 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) students were provided with free online Maths revision through a partnership between bmobile and local NGO, Restore A Sense of I Can (RSC). bmobile hosted the platform, server, videos and software for free, as well as gave the CSEC students free, zero-data access to the revision website. Any CSEC student, regardless of his or her financial situation, is now able to access very high level Maths content for free.

Dr. Ronald Walcott, TSTT’s Chief Executive Officer, noted that education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future. “The objective is to assist those students whose parents are facing financial constraints due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic. With a sound education, children are presented with the opportunity to elevate themselves from their current situation and advance in society. Technology is an equalizer which levels the playing field by providing equal access regardless of a student’s socio-economic background. When we merge technology and education together, the possibilities become endless. This is why, as the national telecommunications provider, providing ongoing support to our nation’s children is of utmost importance to us. TSTT has given its commitment to the Ministry of Education that it will continue to do its part to ensure that no child is left behind.”



Since April, bmobile has also provided free, zero-data access to other educational websites which support students at all the school levels, including the Ministry of Education, the University of the West Indies (UWI), the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) and the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). The Ministry of Education’s virtual educational curriculum that is broadcast on channel 4, continues to be available to all students free of charge on bmobile Amplia’s channel 103. bmobile has also partnered with the Ministry of Education for its ‘Adopt A School’ initiative which aims to deliver data connections and/or devices to the approximately 63,369 students who need them to begin this term’s virtual curriculum. bmobile is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Education to provide support in the best and most effective way possible so that no child is left behind.

bmobile will also be launching new mobile and data service packages that will make online education more affordable and widely accessible to students at all levels of the educational system. As part of its ongoing support of local education, primary, secondary and tertiary level students will be able to access these services to help them as they maneuver through remote education.