E. P. Roberts Primary School on Lincoln Boulevard and Balfour Avenue is celebrating the gift of a state-of-the-art computer lab equipped with 40 new laptops, the result of a partnership with RBC Royal Bank.

The Minister of Education, Science and Technology the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald along with the Hon. Glenys Hanna Martin, Minister of Transport and Aviation, Royal Bank officials and others toured the new computer lab during a visit to the school on Monday, September 7.

The Acer laptops will allow students to tune into “TuneIn To Reading,” an electronic music-based programme developed in the United States that uses techniques to help students improve their reading abilities, a project that was implemented by Mission Educate Bahamas in primary schools in The Bahamas.

Mission Educate Bahamas is a non-profit organization with the goal to improve literacy in primary schools by providing the tools, resources and training to engage and educate students.

Minister Fitzgerald said the computer lab will be an asset to the historic community of Englerston: “I am confident that these computers will enhance the academic performance of students through improved literacy skills; create paths for academic success and boost reading confidence that allows for greater productivity among students as a result of being capable and confident readers,” he said.

“Our emphasis this year is on quality and RBC and Mission Educate Bahamas [are aligned] with that standard. I know that these computers that are here to facilitate the Tune Into Reading Program will produce quality readers and essentially quality students.”

Principal Janice Moss acknowledged the combined efforts of RBC (laptops) and Aetos Holdings (Tune Into Reading Programme), which she said will result in students excelling and possibly reaching their full academic potential.

On behalf of RBC, Nathaniel Beneby, Managing Director, said youth are the future and the contribution is viewed as an “investment” in the growth of The Bahamas.

Also participating in the ceremony was Rob Johnston, CEO, RBC Caribbean Banking; Eulease Beneby, District Superintendent; students, teachers and school administrators. The students, led by Dianne Hinsey, a sixth grade teacher, sang a musical selection entitled “Grateful.”