Students in the province of Gauteng in South Africa are becoming wired. Over 1000 schools are receiving computer labs with access to the Internet and e-mail. This commitment to learning is a joint venture between the private and public sector.
Ignatius Jacobs, the Provincial Education Minister, at the launch of the rollout said the provincial education department is committed to schools in the province having computer laboratories. He proudly states, “All children at Gauteng schools will be able to join their counterparts throughout the world and face the challenges of the 21st century”.
The rollout of the Gauteng Online Project is the responsibility of six business consortiums: Business Connexion , Dell, Hewlett Packard, Mustek, Pinnacle, and Sahara. TechnoKids Africa is part of the Business Connexion consortium. Their role is to train teachers to use technology.
Training of Gauteng teachers begins this week and will continue for several months. Each teacher in the province will receive basic computer training. This 16 hour training course includes an introduction to Word, Excel, Windows, E-mail, and the Internet. In addition, two staff members from each school will attend an advanced training course that will prepare them for troubleshooting computer and network problems, as well as offering support to other educators.
TechnoKids Africa is proud to be part of the Gauteng Online Project. Vasu Gounden, CEO of TechnoKids Africa states, “The children in Gauteng are being given the tools and knowledge they need to become world leaders in the digital age. We are thrilled to be part of this project. We are convinced that this is what is needed to prepare our students for the future”.
The rollout of the Gauteng Online Project is expected to take place over the next two years.