GautengOnline rolls out next phase

By Bontle Moeng, ITWeb trainee journalist

Johannesburg, 28 Nov 2005

The GautengOnline project will complete the phase five roll-out of 25 PCs in 80 schools, including six Elsen Schools, which cater for disabled pupils, by the end of March 2006.

Dick Raynor, GautengOnline project manager for training and e-learning, confirmed the date during a launch held at Thaba-Jabula Senior Secondary School in Soweto on Saturday.

"GautengOnline`s roll-out status indicates that 1 100 schools have computers with infrastructure, PC equipment and service, with 20 000 teachers having completed the educator ICT training. The infrastructure roll-out cost for each school is R240 000," said Raynor.

"The provision for roll-out, known as the high five roll-out, will include 24 leaner PCs with two sets of headphones, one educator`s PC, a printer, Microsoft software, a server room, burglar bars, air-conditioning, power supply, networking, an alarm system, smoke detectors, DVD/CD/VHS player, a television set and two satellite dishes," said Raynor.

"Every school has to have a policy for ICT to support the GautengOnline vision. Schools should form ICT committees that have to draft a code of conduct, draw up a timetable for equal use for the learners and the community, and to check for security and maintenance use," said Raynor.

"During the roll-out phase, the following measurements have to be accounted for: the infrastructure has to be checked and passed, schools are assigned a vendor, the software image is constructed, the delivery and installation takes place, the quality assurance is done and training takes place," said Raynor.

The Gauteng government, through the Department of Education, initiated the R500 million GautengOnline project in 2001, aiming to provide every school in the province with 25 computers and ensure every pupil has an e-mail address. It has since extended its deadline by three years.

Not a luxury

"The world we live in is a global village. Computer technology and ICT have revolutionised the world, therefore developing societies have to start harnessing technology for themselves," said Tom Waspe, Gauteng Department of Education CIO.

"GautengOnline is a key factor in bringing about change and bridging the digital divide. We have to start using technology now in order to develop the country.

"GautengOnline is an important e-learning programme. We have to prioritise schools that are disadvantaged to adopt ICT skills at an early age. The challenge is to integrate GautengOnline with the school`s curriculum. I don`t believe the GautengOnline project is a luxury; it is the best tool to transform society and the world we live in," said Waspe.

"There are still schools who do not see this as an important project," he added.

"GautengOnline will enable the government to infuse ICT in schools to create a better environment for access to information," said Mallele Petje, Gauteng Department of Education CEO.

Companies that will assist with the roll-out include Business Connexion, Dell, HP, Mecer/Mustek, Pinnacle, Sentech, Ernst & Young, Moloko/Vimba Security and the South African Bureau of Standards.

"GautengOnline`s plan is to contribute towards building the human resources capacity of the province and the country through the provision of quality education and to position the province at the cutting-edge of change through technological innovation," said Petje.

However, said Petje, this has not happened. "There are people who keep stealing the equipment. I urge the community to take care of these resources and take a stance to report any incidents. The criminals are well known in the communities. I also plead with schools that have turned the computer labs into their own personal office to stop doing that. The labs are for children to learn. Some of the teachers are locking up the facilities and claim they had no idea they could use them," he said.