Jamil Bennett, general manager of KBC Learning, assists grade-five student Roshawn Brown with one of the new laptops donated to the school recently. - Photo by Carl Gilchrist

Scott's Hall Primary School, located in deep rural South East St Mary, recorded an impressive 93 per cent success rate from among 60 students who took this year's Grade Four Literacy Test, administered by the Ministry of Education.

Next year, though, principal Isaac Jaggon is looking for a perfect score, thanks to a computer lab equipped with relevant support programmes which opened at the school on Tuesday.

"Yes, it (computer lab) will impact. It will help the slow learners develop more confidence," Jaggon told The Gleaner at the opening ceremony.

"The ministry sent us a reading specialist and we were able to get 93 per cent mastery. We will now be able to be at 100 per cent. We don't want to stop, we want to build on it. The only drawback now is that everybody wants to be on the computer."

For grade-five student Roshawn Brown, the computer lab means learning can now be fun. He was first introduced to the computer last week and is enjoying the new technology.

"It will help me in my work," said the shy youngster.

Although excited by the computers, Roshawn, who is still to get the full grasp of the system, believes he would learn better if he were taught by his teachers.

The lab, funded jointly by Jamaica Producers Group, KBC Learning and MP for South East St Mary, Tarn Peralto, is equipped with 10 laptops and will support the school's curriculum.

Jamaica Producers donated nearly $500,000 to get the building ready.

Fund-raising efforts

KBC Learning was instrumental in garnering US$6,000 from fund-raising efforts in Washington, United States of America, to purchase the 10 laptops which it donated to the school.

Peralto, who covered the cost for the learning stations, valued at over $200,000, from the Constituency Development Fund, said the collaboration between corporate Jamaica entities (JP and KBC) to support education was the way forward.