Johannesburg, 26 Oct 2011
Samsung Africa is piloting a solar-powered school model at its Engineering Academy, in Boksburg.
The company unveiled the project, which it says is well suited to the needs of Africa, yesterday. The model comprises a mobile classroom that is entirely solar-powered. The classrooms are built in 12-metre-long shipping containers, which means, as Samsung points out, they can be transported to remote areas by truck.
The company adds that the classrooms are suited to energy-scarce environments and harsh weather conditions. “The Solar-Powered Internet Schools model addresses one of Africa's largest economic challenges: electrification,” the company says.
A classroom can seat 21 learners, and is fitted with a 50-inch electronic e-board, as well as Samsung notebooks and netbooks that are optimised for use in a solar-powered environment. According to Samsung, solar panels can power the classroom's equipment for up to nine hours a day, and the classrooms can operate for one-and-a-half days without any sunlight at all.
“The amount of power generated by the schools each day means they can be used beyond the traditional school day as an adult education centre in the afternoons, or a community centre over weekends,” says KK Park, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Africa. “Our goal was to create an environment that would facilitate learning for whole communities in remote areas that otherwise don't have access to education tools or Internet connectivity.”
Samsung says the classrooms are also equipped with an energy-efficient refrigerator, file server (which contain the complete SA school curriculum), router, an uninterrupted power supply (UPS), video camera and world-first WiFi camera. These features can all communicate via 3G.
Once the prototype has been piloted, it will be sent to Qunu, in the Eastern Cape, to undergo further testing, says Samsung. It adds that the aim is to scale up production of the classrooms thereafter.
Share