Athaliah Reynolds, Staff Reporter

Students and teachers of the American International School of Kingston tour The Gleaner Company's North Street, central Kingston, offices on Friday, May 4. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

If things go as planned, come August next year, over 200 students of the American International School of Kingston (AISK) will have a new state-of-the-art technologically advanced school building.

The new AISK building will be the first school in the Caribbean to be fully integrated as an e-school - planned, designed, built and opened with all-wireless laptop technology.

Construction of the US$11 million (J$792 million) institution is slated to begin as early as Monday on a nine-acre property in Hope Pastures, St Andrew, behind Jamaica College.

Funding

According to Eric Flohr, counsellor for management affairs at the Embassy of the Unites States of America, funding for the multimillion-dollar initiative, which is to be completed in two phases will come mainly from AISK resources.

He, however, said the school has been provided with a US$500,000 (J$36 million) grant from the US State Department and has also been able to secure a loan from an overseas private investment corporation.

Brenda LaGrange Johnson, US ambassador to Jamaica, who was present for the groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday, said one of the best ways to attract high-calibre investors to Jamaica is to offer quality education to the children of these potential investors.

"This will be an e-school, fashioned off a school in Arizona and its really going to be the highest level of all kinds of ability of learning and access to the world through the Internet and through e-learning," said LaGrange.

Laptop computer

The programme at AISK will involve every student from grade six upwards to have a laptop computer, which will be used to take notes and submit assignments. Parents and teachers will also be able to access course information, students' grades and homework from home.

"I believe we will lead the way for other schools in the Caribbean to follow," she said.

Education Minister Andrew Holness said the venture has convinced him to consider establishing more international schools in Jamaica. "Jamaica has a name and a brand and if marketed properly abroad could act as an export in education, so I will be encouraging other schools like this in Jamaica," he said.

athaliah.reynolds@gleanerjm.com