Past students donate computers to Vaz Prep, other schools
Published:Monday | October 30, 2023 | 12:07 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
A donation of six desktop computers from the Vaz Preparatory School Past Students Association (VPSPSA), in collaboration with the Florida Atlantic University, has brought hope to Unity Preparatory School, whose computer lab was burglarised five years ago and has not been reopened since.
In an interview with The Gleaner during Friday’s handover ceremony, where the VPSPSA donated 117 computers to seven Corporate Area schools, along with Vaz Prep, Rennia Edwards-Whyte, principal of Unity Prep, explained that the burglars raided the compound, taking with them some 12 new computers, teachers’ personal laptops, wall fans and other valuable items.
“We haven’t been able to [recover since then], because we had to amp up security in terms of installing grills and doors and put other [measures] in place,” she explained.
According to Edwards-Whyte, the school has been functioning without a computer lab, forcing teachers to support the teaching and learning process in the classroom by using their personal laptops and the school’s smart televisions.
She thanked the VPSPSA for its thoughtful gesture and said the school would use the machines to assist in reopening its computer lab.
“These will go a long way for our students, [and] will definitely make a difference within the lives of our students,” she said.
“I know they are excited,” she said of the students, adding that the grade-six students would be among the first cohort to utilise the computers, to learn to use an actual computer for doing projects and research for school.
Edwards-Whyte appealed to corporate Jamaica to assist in obtaining at least 20 more computers for the lab, to ensure a fully equipped and functional lab for the institution’s more than 100-student population.
Bridging digital divide
The aim of the donation is to partner with institutions to help in bridging the digital divide in primary education, and to enhance digital education in schools.
“Vaz Preparatory is dedicated to fostering a comprehensive curriculum that not only emphasises the delivery of high-quality education, but cultivates a deep sense of service and community responsibility. Intrinsically, our past students broadly demonstrate this commitment to service,” said Peter Richardson, vice-president of the VPSPSA.
Richardson also noted that this initiative would be an ongoing one as the association helps to foster a community of giving.
The other schools that benefited from the initiative are St Richard’s Primary, Emmanuel Christian Academy, Danny Williams School for the Deaf, Rollington Town Primary, Windward Road Primary and Clan Carthy Primary.
Michelle Traille Reynolds, acting vice-principal at Clan Carthy, in her brief remarks stated that she was pleased the institution was among those selected for the donation. She said the school’s objective was to ensure that students are literate and numerate and that, with the donation of these computers, it would help to fulfil its mission and by extension, make Jamaica “a better land”.
The Vaz Prep alumni network said it would like to invite all past students to join the association and contribute to its mission.
Interested individuals can join the VPSPSA community by visiting the website vpsalumni.org. or contact them via email at info@vpsalumni.org.