Anchovy Primary & Infant School in St James was abuzz recently, as it celebrated the handover of a fully equipped Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Room supported by Digicel Foundation Jamaica, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Youth.

The ceremony took place at the school.

Guest speaker Dr Michelle Pinnock, director for the education ministry’s Region Four, and Homer Davis, member of parliament for South St James, led support to the proceedings.

Students could not wait to try out the new technology, which will be integrated into their curriculum. The school is now equipped with all the necessary infrastructure, including laptops, tablets, a printer, a MIMIO-compatible smart touchscreen board, and special safety and security features.

“We believe it is especially important for our young people to leave primary school with basic digital literacy skills,” observed Digicel Foundation CEO Charmaine Daniels. 

“We would like to see the school administrators and teachers take full advantage of this new facility and encourage students towards considering career paths in ICT.”

In January this year, Digicel Foundation announced a partnership with the Amber Group and education ministry, which has seen a National Coding Programme unfold islandwide for students from Grades 1 – 13. The Foundation donated J$28 million towards the Amber Group-led Coding in Schools programme.

The coding programme certainly lit a spark in Anchovy Primary’s Aiden Mattis, who received an award of a tablet during the handover ceremony. Young Aiden was an exceptional student, displaying a passion for coding during the classes conducted at his school. He also held a 100 per cent attendance record.

“The digital divide still exists, and we need to continue bridging that gap. We want to ensure that no child gets left behind, and so we are committing more support for STEM education,” noted the Digicel Foundation CEO.