MONTEGO BAY, St James – The Rotary Club of Montego Bay East is collaborating with telecommunications provider Flow to establish a $8 million computer laboratory at the five- year- old Spot Valley High School in St James.

The announcement was made by East Central St James Member of Parliament Edmund Bartlett, who was speaking last week at the East Central St James Educational Council scholarship awards ceremony for teachers at Sunset Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.

Bartlett, in whose constituency the co-educational institution falls, said the new facility will ensure that each of the 20 upper sixth form students–the first batch at the government -run school — will have access to the use of a computer during school hours.

“And so there are 20 of them (upper sixth form students) and we are going to provide 20 computer stations and 20 computers to make sure that every child in that upper sixth form is in charge of his own station with computers and all the furnishing facility,” Bartlett explained.

Just recently, the member of parliament who is also the minister of tourism handed over to the institution, vouchers valued at $50,000 to purchase text books for the school’s library. Those books, Bartlett said, are to be used by the upper sixth students.

Meanwhile, Doreth Chambers, the principal of Spot Valley High — which has 1,200 students on roll — has expressed her gratitude for the MP’s continued support of the school.

“We always want to build our students and we always want to provide them with opportunities. But the Government and we as principals, and teachers and other support staff………… cannot do it alone. Although the Minister is the minister for tourism you will recognise his major emphasis on education so we are grateful,” Chambers remarked.

In the meantime, Bartlett was full of praise for the scholastic achievements now enjoyed by Spot Valley.

He lauded the high achievers who have earned more than eight subjects with credits and distinctions in this years external examinations.

” Some of the students in the CXC and CSEC have got as many as 11 subjects with grade ones and twos; and some eight and nine and numbers like those which are most flattering for even the traditional high schools that they talk about,” he boasted.

He argued that the academic feat has propelled the reversal of the bad image which had dogged the school after it was opened in 2005.

In former years some students at the institution were said to be affiliated to rivalling factions in some St James’ gritty inner-city communities.

In 2009 two male teachers were stabbed by a male past student and his accomplice on the school compound.

One of the wounded teachers had to undergo life-saving emergency treatment following the bloody attack which left the school’s population saddened.

But, the general conduct and deportment of students attending the institution have seen vast improvement over the last few years, stakeholders say.