RETIREMENT PRIMARY AND BURNT GROUND BASIC GET ICT LIFELINE FROM DIGICEL FOUNDATION


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RETIREMENT PRIMARY AND BURNT GROUND BASIC GET ICT LIFELINE FROM DIGICEL FOUNDATION

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RETIREMENT PRIMARY AND BURNT GROUND BASIC GET ICT LIFELINE FROM DIGICEL FOUNDATION

Having scored a 94 per cent pass rate in the Grade Four Literacy Test and secured seats at schools of their first choice following the recent GSAT examination, Retirement Primary School students were beaming with pride. The students accomplished this feat despite limited access to Information Communication Technology (ICT). They will however, be able to reap the benefits of ICT, as the Digicel Foundation donated computers preloaded with educational software to the school on July 17. The (ICT) equipment provided will offer well needed learning resources to enhance and support the teaching of Phonics, Reading and Mathematics. Teachers at the Watt Town, St. Ann based school were forced to improvise when making lesson plans and sourcing educational materials. Currently 116 students are enrolled at Retirement Primary with five teachers at the school. The teachers are looking forward to utilizing the computers provided by the Digicel Foundation, as the ICT will assist with lesson planning, and engage students more in computer related activities. “We have teachers who are responsible for multi-grade classes, this means that one teacher has to teach more than one grade level,” noted Beverly Bailey, Principal and Grade Four Teacher at Retirement Primary. “Students have different learning levels. You have groups that finish their work quickly. Now that we have the computers, the students that work at a faster pace can work on the computers, this will allow the teacher to devote more time to the slower group. Of course we would rotate this also.” “We generally do well and we had achieved in the 90s in the Grade Four Literacy Test, but now that we have computers it will enhance the work we do,” the school’s Principal added. Retirement Primary and Burnt Ground Basic located on the same compound received a total of four new computers under the Digicel Foundation’s Project 1000.  This initiative will provide one thousand early childhood and primary institutions across the island with ICT equipment over the course of three years. Project 1000 is geared towards meeting the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal of achieving 100% literacy by 2015. “The Digicel Foundation congratulates the Retirement Primary students who recently passed their GSAT exams and those who scored high marks on the Grade Four Literacy Test,” remarked Samantha Chantrelle, Executive Director of the Digicel Foundation. “To think that these students did so incredibly well in spite of the school’s limited resources is truly an inspiration. The Foundation is happy to contribute to the school’s continued growth and development.” The computers are funded by the Digicel Foundation and sourced and installed by the Camara Jamaica Foundation. The teachers are also trained by Camara to better use these resources in the classroom. “Project 1000 was launched to provide 1000 early childhood public schools with well-needed computers over the next 3 years.  Over 50 computers and 10 laptops have already been delivered between May and June this year and we are on track to deliver over 150 computers to 75 more schools this summer," noted Karly Gaynor, CEO of the Camara Jamaica Foundation. Since the launch of Project 1000 in April, nearly 3000 students have benefited. Approximately US$375,000 will be invested in this initiative.
RETIREMENT PRIMARY AND BURNT GROUND BASIC GET ICT LIFELINE FROM DIGICEL FOUNDATION