LUCEA, Hanover

THE Digicel Foundation has partnered with Bioprist Knowledge Parks (BKP) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to stage its inaugural three-week science summer camp in Lucea, Hanover.

The camp, which started on August 3, is designed for children ages 10-13 years, as well as high school teachers in western Jamaica. The camp is being held under the theme: Partnering to Develop Promising Young Scientists Globally.

During the first week of the camp, which concluded on August 7, emphasis was placed on training teachers, while the final two weeks are geared towards empowering and challenging students, through the use of hands-on activities in several aspects of science and technology.

“The Digicel Foundation is committed to enriching the overall learning experience through technology and innovation. We have provided mobile labs in 17 high schools across the island, and will introduce these labs to 33 additional schools within three years, increasing the quality and quantity of resources for education in science and mathematics at the high school level,” said Digicel Foundation Chairman Jean Lowrie-Chin, adding that Rusea’s High School in Hanover would be one of the recipients.

And in welcoming that commitment from the Digicel Foundation, Dr Muppurri, President of Bioprist, expressed his delight that the summer camp was taking place in western Jamaica, as he commended the foundation for the emphasis it placed on innovation in education.

Meanwhile, speakers at the recent official launch of the camp, Ron McKay, the president of AMCHAM, and Dr Simon Clarke, chairman of the National Council on Education in Jamaica, commended the students on dedicating their holidays to advancing their knowledge of science, while congratulating the teachers and sponsors for their generosity and dedication.

Mauricio Pulido of the AMCHAM Vocational Education Committee and CEO of GB Energy Jamaica urged the students to “think like the Good Samaritan” as they go through life. Meanwhile Noel Whyte, in his charge to student engineers, stressed the importance of science to modern infrastructure and national development.

Speaking on behalf of the teachers volunteering from the University of Alabama, Dr Michael Wyss, the director of the university’s Centre for Community Outreach Development (CORD), expressed pleasure at being a part of the programme and looked forward to a continued partnership.