Sheena Gayle, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Ministry of Education has invested more than $5 million in a state-of-the-art computer laboratory at Irwin High School in St James, according to Principal Aldin Bellinfantie.

"This might be the first in the secondary school system, as we have a business laboratory solution system for this school and most top business places, possibly universities, have this type of equipment," he said.

"Our lab will be able to facilitate all 1,350 students at the school, plus teachers and administrative staff."

Bellinfantie was speaking during Tuesday's official opening of the lab which, he said, should have been in operation since the opening of the school three years ago.

However, the education ministry opted to delay the process in order to equip all the high schools at once with computers. The principal revealed that the extended delays prompted the school to request funding from the ministry in order to equip the computer lab independently with 70 computers.

He further stated that, while the workstations will be used primarily for information technology (IT) students, "all aspects of the school's IT solutions will be manoeuvred through our state-of-the art server that is networked through the Internet"

He added: "Therefore, teachers and students will be able to do research for all the other subject areas through the use of this computer lab."

OneVoice Communications - responsible for establishing the computer lab - incorporated a three-month internship programme from which three Irwin High students benefited.

sheena.gayle@gleanerjm.com