On Wednesday, May 2, 2012 Lavabits, Montserrat’s first official software company, made a donation of science equipment to the Montserrat Secondary School( MSS). According to Dr. Samuel Joseph one of the company’s director who presented the equipment, their hope is that “at least three other businesses in the community will match this same donation and the government needs to also match it.”
In brief remarks Dr. Joseph introduced his company and said that having worked in the school system, he realized, “one of the problems we have is that there is a lack of equipment in terms of the sciences and it’s very frustrating to teach and it’s also very frustrating to learn…”
Joseph said that after he quit teaching, following a conversation with the principal, Mrs. Cherlyn Hogan expressed that they have now switched the physics program from Cambridge to the CXC, which requires a set of equipment to do the SBAs. They did not have this set of equipment. “…how the children were supposed to do their tests was going to be a mystery…,” he continued.
The main objection for the donation, is their beliefs in the idea that Montserrat’s way forward is through human capital and through the investment in its own people and its own intellectual property. “So, in order to do that, we have to invest in our schools etc.,” he said.
Principal Hogan in the presence of the Director of Education and some of the students accepted the donation on behalf of the school. She thanked the donors of the equipment. Meanwhile, she confirmed the need for the equipment, saying there is a great need of equipment for Science as well as for other subjects. She said that issue, “…became particularly pronounced with the switch from Cambridge to CSEC and the requirements for SBA for students…it would virtually be impossible for them to complete that program without this donation.”
On the students own behalf one student acknowledged the equipment adding the students perspective of the usefulness and need for the equipment. “Much of the work that students do is theoretical with class work. Students tend to forget what was taught, but with practical experience what they observe, of and for themselves would most likely be understood…equipment such as this will definitely assist in students work…,”confirming also his principals remarks about the change from Cambridge to CXC. “…and this also allows for our advance in our SBAs,” he said. .
The equipment included beakers, electricity set, magnetism set, a laser set, calipers, micro meters, “and some other stuff, basically stuff for Physics,” as noted by Dr. Joseph.
Rawle Wilson is the physics master at the MSS and he expressed to TMR his pleasure with the donation. “Yes truly I’m very excited about this donation from Lavabits,”he said, noting also, “physics with the use of equipment, students are able to appreciate the subject more, when they actually do things they are able to remember them more. It is easy for a child to forget what he is told in class… when one actually participates, exercising hands on, feel and touch, one understands and remembers and better appreciates the subject.”
Lavabits on their website tells of their mission: “To provide effective information solutions to local, regional, and international problems via targeted mobile application software development. To foster an intellectual, knowledge-sharing internal environment to enable academic excellence, creativity, and effective decision-making.”
It was initiated to provide software in the mobile space. This includes smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone, RIM BlackBerry, and Android based phones.a local software development company
