Salmon farmer’s laptop donation a ‘game changer’ for school
Scottish Sea Farms has helped a Shetland school deliver computer-based teaching to all pupils, with a donation of laptops.
The salmon producer, which farms in Shetland, Orkney and on Scotland’s west coast, gave Aith Junior High School £5,000 from its Heart of the Community fund, after being approached by parent council representative Jimmy Mercer.
Mercer’s own business, Lerwick-based gas supplier Rearo Supplies, donated another £2,000 to the cause.
A shortage of laptops at the school had made online learning in the classroom a struggle, with up to half of pupils unable to participate in some lessons.
School computers are provided by the local authority but numbers depend on the school roll, which can mean smaller schools having to make do with fewer resources, despite many courses now being taught digitally.
‘In a class of say 26 or 28, perhaps half would have laptops while the rest would sit twiddling their thumbs,’ said Mercer.
Authorities
‘There has been talk of government laptops, but they haven’t materialised yet. The educational authorities saying we’ll do this in four or five years is no good to the children going through school now.’
Mercer had heard about Scottish Sea Farms’ Heart of the Community Trust through its sponsorship of Shetland Junior Football Association, and he applied for an award on behalf of the school.
‘This money from Heart of the Community is an absolute game changer,’ he said. ‘We’ve been able to buy 16 laptops with a charging trolley, which charges up the computers between lessons.
‘This will double the number of computers per class and means when the teachers want to do a class online, every pupil will be able to access a laptop. It’s a massive thing for our community,’ added Mercer.
Restructured
Scottish Sea Farms has recently restructured its Shetland operations, investing £2 million earlier this year in farm upgrades and making several new senior appointments.
It has since been announced that the salmon farmer has signed a Share Purchase Agreement to acquire Grieg Seafood Hjaltland UK, with farm sites on Shetland and the Isle of Skye.
Scottish Sea Farms Northern Isles regional manager Richard Darbyshire said the company was delighted to support Aith Junior High School.
‘Ensuring every child has access to a laptop is a very worthwhile use of our Heart of the Community funding,’ he said.
‘The Trust was set up 10 years ago this year for causes just like this one, which bring tangible benefits to the local communities where we farm.’
