The Gauteng Shared Services Centre (GSSC) has so far connected 1 509 schools to its Gauteng Online project - exceeding its target for the year.
The centre aimed to connect 2 042 schools in the province by May 2010. For November, the target was to connect and have 1 410 schools online. While the GSSC had hoped to have 1 567 schools completed by November, 157 schools have structural defects, which the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) had to correct before labs could be installed.
The GSSC previously stated schools that have an available classroom would be completed in November 2009. The 470 schools, where a structure still has to be established, are set to be completed by May 2010.
Gauteng Online is a provincial initiative to build a province-wide school computer network. The project aims to create 25-seat computer labs with Internet and e-mail capabilities at all public schools in the province, to be used for curriculum delivery.
Announced in 2001, the project was initially allocated R500 million over the course of three years to build the computer network. In 2005, an additional R100 million was allocated to fast-track the project and the deadline for its completion was first extended to 2006, then to 2007.
In December 2007, the SMMT Online consortium was announced as the winning bidder for the Gauteng Online tender.
Troubled project
While the GSSC says it is satisfied with the progress made on the project, the initiative has been plagued by high levels of theft, limited Internet connectivity and poor teacher training since its implementation.
Between April and May this year, the roll-out was suspended as quality issues affected the project. In May, an integrated security initiative between SMMT Online, the GSSC and GDE was implemented following reports of theft at schools.
Earlier this year, after concerns expressed by the provincial education department, Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane and school governing body associations, the GSSC introduced tougher performance measures for the project.
Despite a history of poor performance and years of wasteful expenditure by the provincial government on the projects, SMMT Online was only placed on terms on the basis of non-compliance with the conditions of the contract, a year after it was awarded the project.
Finance MEC Mandla Nkomfe also announced a revised and comprehensive governance framework and structure, including roles, responsibilities, rights and obligations of each party in the project, has been implemented.
The aim was to hold contractors and managers involved in the project accountable for poor performance. A detailed report on the project's progress was also scheduled to be released in November.
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