Iris Gelly Primary gets $5.5 computer lab
THE Iris Gelly Primary School in South St Andrew is the more recent beneficiary of Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation’s effort to enhance computer literacy among students in the island.
The Foundation recently constructed a $5.5-million computer lab, equipped with 17 computers and other multimedia equipment, at the school. The lab, which was opened on September 28, will benefit the more than 1,000 students who attend the institution.
Scotia’s move to build the lab at Iris Gelly was undertaken in response to a request, from the Member of Parliament Dr Omar Davies, for its help to introduce computers to the children.
“The Foundation strongly believes in assisting communities that are trying to help themselves. Our work at Iris Gelly is an example of public-private partnerships working to change disadvantaged com-munities,” the Foundation said in a release.
Iris Gelly opened its doors in 1977, with a group of 25 students. Since then, the population has grown to 1,040 students from Trench Town, Avon Park, Lyndhurst Road and Arnett Gardens.
School principal Evon Brown said the school was delivering a high standard of education to the students through academic programmes, extra-curricular activities and sports. But she said that there was a noticeable gap in their information technology programme.
“We only had two computers in the teachers’ area and this severely hampered our efforts to expose our children to computers. We now have the computers, teachers and the laboratory can finally start,” she said, noting the Scotia effort.
In 2001, the Meadowbrook High School in St Andrew, with a student population of more than 1,400, also benefitted from a similar donation. The school was given 20 computers and lab facilities, which cost $1.9 million.
“We now have more children taking the two subjects. The computers help them a lot in their course work and School Based Assessment,” said school vice-principal Jean Jackson. “These are children who otherwise do not have access to computers and so their performance in IT in CXC exams has improved because of the donation from the Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation.”
The Scotia Foundation has, since 1996, identified institutions with the greatest need and constructed computer labs. To date, it has spent just under $10 million on this initiative.