MONTEGO BAY, St James – Thanks to yet another generous donation by MBJ Airports Limited, all 58 students of Flanker Primary and Infant School in Montego Bay who will be doing Primary Exit Profile (PEP) exams next year now have a better chance of success. MBJ’s CEO Shane Munroe recently handed over 10 digital tablets to the school. With that gift, all of the school’s PEP students now have access to devices.

“I am elated because in February they will be doing their first component of PEP, which is the abilities test. So now when we come on Saturdays these students will have their devices to access the different platforms that we are using to do past papers and to sharpen their skills. So I am really, really happy for these tablets,” said the school’s principal, Collette Barnes.

“I have in my PEP class now 58 students some of which we already gave tablets because MBJ and the Member of Parliament are contributing tablets to the school. So these are the students that did not get,” she explained.

The MBJ had also earlier played a role in the staging of extra classes.

“We were here two weeks ago to give a donation to the grade six programme. They have an extra class on Saturdays and that is really preparation for PEP. We gave about $200,000 and that is just for tutoring and the nutrition side of that programme,” Munroe explained. “We are back here again donating these tablets to assist these grade six students for their preparation for this exam. This is continuing on our relationship with the Flanker Primary.”

He said MBJ, which operates the nearby Sangster International Airport, intends to keep working with the school.

“We plan to continue our involvement, certainly in devices and e-learning and look forward to being back here again for a similar donation in the short term. Of course, we have the grade five students coming up and we have a request now to assist and to expand this programme. So this is really phase one of that and we will continue to assist the school,” Munroe promised.

He added: “We are always looking for opportunities to assist the students in the community and we want them to excel and certainly to contribute back to the community and to build the community that we are a part of ourselves.”

Elated that all of her students who will next do PEP are now in possession of devices, Barnes thanked Munroe and Dr Horace Chang, the Member of Parliament for St James North Western in which the Flanker community is located, for their contribution to the school. For his part, Chang also lauded MBJ for their support of the educational institution and the principal for “the work she is doing at the school”.