which announced yesterday it was providing free access and software to all public and private schools.

Apart from an initial $50 installation fee, the $50 monthly fee and a lump sum of $150 a school for training and software, Internet will also provide each school with free training of computer science teachers, bulletin boards and private E-mail addresses for every student and teacher in Bermuda.

Students will be able to use Internet to access an encyclopaedia of the most up-to-date information world-wide for school work and many other topics. They can also contact students throughout the world with many schools already on-line, especially in the United States.

Internet manager Mr. Tony Harriott, quoting Management and Technology Minister the Hon. Grant Gibbons, said computers were "rapidly becoming more than business aids and Bermuda's success in the next century depended on its human resources''.

Dr. Gibbons also said that only if Bermudians developed competence in those areas would the community be able to reap the full harvest that information technology promised in the 21st century, Mr. Harriott said.

He further noted Dr. Gibbons' concern that many Bermudians did not understand the new educational role of computers and were unlikely, because of their lack of natural contact with that world, to find out.

The Department of Education's Computer Resource officer, Mr. Jack Rhind, said all public schools had computer labs, however, most did not have fast enough modems to accommodate the Internet.

"Some schools will be able to take advantage of the Internet right away but it looks like September for the majority,'' he said, adding schools would welcome the donation of the modems, which cost around $300 each.

Bermuda High School, Bermuda's first Internet school, has had the system up and running, Mr. Harriott said.

"This morning I spoke to Theresa Sousa at the Bermuda High School and she told me that access to the Internet has been invaluable for teachers and students alike,'' he said. "They are now able to get access to first-hand research, current events and communication with other schools around the world. They subscribe to a free Internet periodical called "In Class'' an on-line magazine devoted entirely to use of the Internet for schools. As well as accessing information from others, BHS has also been able to share information about itself. For instance, when BHS turned 100 years old recently, they (the students) announced it to the world of education on the Internet and received congratulatory E-mails from all corners of the world.''