Free Laptop Programme to Return in Time for New School Term
May 9, 2025 – In a major education update following the first post-Cabinet briefing, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has announced the return of the free laptop program, a hallmark initiative of the People’s Partnership government from 2010 to 2015. The programme, which previously provided laptops to all Form One students, is now set to be reintroduced by September 2025. Tasked with overseeing this rollout is newly appointed Minister of Education Dr. Michael Dowlath, a veteran educator and former principal of Naparima College. Dr. Dowlath says this initiative aligns with his goal of creating a more child-centred learning environment, where technology plays a key role in education delivery. In a 2014 report to the Senate, the then Minister of Education, Dr. Tim Gopeesingh, announced that 92,000 laptops had been distributed to students from Form 1 to 5 at a cost of about $253 million. While a 2023 press release, the former minister of education, Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, reported that from 2020 to 2023, 71,000 laptops had been distributed to students who met the means test criteria. With digital transformation high on the education agenda, all eyes are now on the Ministry of Education to ensure the successful delivery of the laptop program by the start of the next academic year.
