Sahara Systems, part of the Sahara Holdings Group, believes in the ideals of the Gauteng Online (GOL) project, says MD of the Sahara Group, Atul Gupta. He adds that local companies are in a unique position to offer their technological insight to ensure the success of this project.
"Technology has greatly impacted our society, yet in SA a large number of people are not computer literate and have no Internet access. Although reaching each of these individuals might seem an impossible task, we believe that by educating the youth of our nation we are able to alter the status quo and impact communities at large. There is a lot of talk about social responsibility and the need to invest in the future, however, we have found few projects with such vision and practical applicability as that of GOL."
Gupta does not shy away from the fact that this is also a good business opportunity for Sahara, citing it as yet another motivating factor that drives the company to deliver a sustainable, cost-effective and user-friendly solution to the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE).
Using a combination of fat and thin client modules in its allocated pilot schools, Sahara is including both Microsoft and Linux-based solutions in its offering. The Sahara consortium consists of Sahara, Sourcecom Technology Solutions, the Netday Association, Shoma Foundation, Master Math, Edit Microsystems, MicroVision Software, Ingenious Ideas, Schoolnet, Radmaste, Camtre, Power Education, InfoSat and the Learning Channel.
Looking ahead, Gupta says his consortium hopes to see the GOL project fulfilling its vision of bridging the digital divide. "SA faces unique challenges when it comes to education and social upliftment. By providing Internet access and computer literacy at especially rural schools, we are giving an entire community the chance to reach beyond its borders and learn about the global community, thus opening a world of opportunity to them."
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