Students of Manning’s School in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, now have access to higher quality education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), following the opening of the institution’s Victor Lowe STEM Centre.
Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams, on Friday (March 10), officially opened the state-of-the-art facility, named in honour of past student and entrepreneur, Victor Lowe, who was instrumental in the centre’s establishment.
The centre will facilitate the launch of the 285-year-old high school’s ambitious ‘Brain STEM’ programme.
Through this initiative, students from Grades Seven to 13 will have the opportunity to incorporate robotics, coding and general science, along with mathematics and engineering, into their curriculum.
Mrs. Williams, in her address, said the centre aligns with the transformation programme now underway in the education sector, which is providing an “enabling environment” that prepares Jamaican students to be global citizens.
“At its core, at its essence, that is what the STEM discipline is about. To awaken within our students a sense of innovation, inquiry, wanting to solve [Jamaica’s] and the world’s problems,” she explained.
The Minister added that, “we know what those problems are, and we need you, as students, to wrap your minds around it and to help to provide those solutions.”
Mrs. Williams further pointed out that the centre’s opening is timely, as the Government is providing full tuition scholarships to train and prepare some 1,250 new STEM teachers over the next five years.
She thanked Mr. Lowe for his input in the STEM centre’s establishment, noting that “you are moving, not just Manning’s School into the new world, but you’re moving Western Jamaica as well as the whole country; this is so appreciated.”
Manning’s School Principal, Steve Gordon, also lauded Mr. Lowe, as well as the past students association, inclusive of the local, South Florida and New York chapters, for their philanthropic gesture.
Mr. Gordon said the centre will move students beyond the usual tests and rudiments of the classroom to focus on higher thinking skills and real-world problem solving.
“The Manning’s School family proudly [declare]… our intention to join the rest of the world to inspire our next generation of students, scientists, educators, [and] innovators by giving them the opportunity to discover the universe through STEM education,” the Principal indicated.
Mr. Gordon added that “though the programme is in its embryonic stage, it is a great promise to open the minds and hearts of our students, as the ultimate goal is to give them a chance to unfold and discover their skills.”
In his remarks, Mr. Lowe said it is an “overwhelming feeling” to invest in the future of the nation.
He noted that the contributions he and his fellow benefactors have made, pales in comparison to the daily duties of the school’s staff in guiding “these young and capable minds.”
JN Bank pledged $1 million to procure scientific equipment and instruments for the centre.
The school also launched STEM Day, to be observed on the second Friday in March, annually.
