$5.5 Million Computer Lab Opens at Iris Gelly Primary School

A $5.5 million computer laboratory, boasting 17 computers and a state-of-the-art multimedia system, was opened yesterday (Sept. 28) at the Iris Gelly Primary School in South St. Andrew.
Governor-General, His Excellency, the Most Hon. Professor Kenneth Hall, officially opened the facility, which was funded by the Scotia Jamaica Foundation.
Professor Hall said that the provision of the facility would help to close the information and communication gap. “What technology has done is to even out the balance to ensure that everyone, who enters this school and graduates from this school, can now be part of the world at large,” he said, adding that, “it opens up the borderless world to the teachers, students, the parents and generally to the community here at the school”.
The Governor-General said that teachers would be retrained in areas such as interactive learning in order to allow them to teach the students more effectively. “The teachers will have additional options to enlarge their own knowledge, as well as impart developing techniques, to impart the knowledge, which they have,” he added.
He noted that while education was central to the transformation of the society, education was no longer just about schooling. “It is what happens in the school, the kind of facilities that are provided that makes the difference. We expect that out of this project, there will be tremendous improvement in reading and writing skills.the overall quality of education is expected to improve,” he stated.
Professor Hall appealed to the community to take care of the facilities so that future generations could benefit.
Finance and Planning Minister and Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, Omar Davies, expressed appreciation to Scotia Jamaica Foundation for the new facilities.
He noted that this computer facility was expected to make significant improvements to the students and teachers at the school.