MONTEGO BAY, St James — THE Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise in partnership with telecommunications provider Flow has launched a $10 million computer e-Learning initiative which will involve the distribution of 500 computers to primary schools and other institutions islandwide.

Speaking at the launch of the project at the Wexford Hotel in Montego Bay on Tuesday, Education Minister Andrew Holness lauded the partnership, which he believes is timely and will be of great benefit to many.

“We are very glad to have Flow and the Rotary Club coming together to make this venture a reality,” he said.

While acknowledging the importance of computers, the minister pointed out that the infusion of technology “can go nowhere” without the input of teachers.

“The computer is merely a tool in the hands of the teachers and the students and sometimes when we talk about the infusion of technology in education, we believe that it will solve all of our problems — but that’s not the case,” he argued.

“We are in a new phase of information and someone will have to teach our students to unlock their true potential that is innate in them, so the teachers are very important,” he added.

He said it is against that background that the Ministry of Education is developing a strategy of empowering teachers, which includes giving them access to the actual tool — the computer.

He noted that the government’s e-learning programme has so far injected significant resources in training teachers, pointing out that roughly 5,000 of them have been trained in information technology. The ministry, he added, has also provided fully outfitted laboratories at the secondary school level.

The Rotary Club of Montego Bay and Flow will distribute the 500 computers which were sourced from the Canadian — based ‘Warehouse of Hope’ with the assistance of the Rotary Club of St Catherines in Ontario, Canada.

Flow will also donate its Internet and an educational cable line-up to schools that benefit from the initiative.

Three immediate beneficiaries from the partnership — Catherine Hall Primary School, Mount Salem Primary School and the SOS Children’s Village — all in St James, were announced at Tuesday’s launch. Gregory Wint, national director, SOS, was elated to hear the news.

“I am deeply appreciative of this donation from Flow and the Rotary Club because the education of our children remains our number one priority,” said Wint.

Mubarek Said, the president of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise, in his remarks appealed to beneficiaries to take care of the computers provided.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of enhancing the lives of Jamaicans through Computer Learning, while working with wonderful Rotarians around the world, and the fantastic people at Flow. We trust that those who are made responsible in administering their respective institutions will ensure that the computer units are safe, sustained, and derive maximum benefit to those who need it. Together, we may all achieve more,” he said.

Denise Williams, director of Corporate and Government Affairs, Flow, commended the Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise on their visionary approach to contributing to the use of technology in schools.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to provide much-needed educational tools to our students right in the ‘back-to-school’ period and we look forward to seeing the benefits realised,” she said.

Schools and other institutions who wish to participate in the initiative are requested to send their applications to: rotaryflowcomputers@gmail.com. Applications will be reviewed jointly by the Rotary Club of Montego Bay Sunrise and Flow.

— Mark Cummings