Anglican Cathedral College (ACC) has refurbished its computer laboratory with new computer systems, upgraded equipment and improved facilities through a $95,000 investment supported by Lord Michael Ashcroft and the Waterloo Group Charitable Trust.
The project renews a technology initiative that began in 1994, when the Michael A. Ashcroft Foundation helped establish the school’s first computer laboratory to expand access to information technology for Belizean students.
Lord Ashcroft said the refurbished lab will help students develop skills for further education and future careers. “It’s a place where you can learn to code, to design, to research, to write, to create and more importantly, to explore.”
He said the skills students develop in the lab could prepare them for university, apprenticeships, business ownership and jobs that have yet to emerge as artificial intelligence continues to develop.
The refurbishment includes 32 new desktop computers, new desks and chairs, laser printers and a 3D printer along with two 65-inch TVs to allow teachers to give students demonstrations and lessons more easily.
The investment also provides four computers equipped with remedial literacy and numeracy software for use in the school’s literacy room, giving students who need additional support more opportunities to strengthen their reading, writing and mathematics skills.
Alyssa, a student at ACC, said the previous lab had slow laptops that sometimes froze, limited seating and insufficient space to work comfortably.
“Today, we walk into a lab that gives us more space, comfortable seating, and faster desktop computers,” she said. “We can focus more on understanding our lessons and completing our assignments.”
Lord Ashcroft encouraged students to take responsibility for the facility and make full use of the opportunities it provides.
“This is your space,” he said. “Look after it, use it well, help each other and be bold.”
The handover marks a renewed investment in the school’s computer education programme, more than three decades after the original laboratory was established.
