The Digital Doorway project, co-ordinated by the CSIR and the Department of Science and Technology, has shown that children in rural areas can intuitively acquire computer skills with no little or no training.
The project, which began last year, was based on the concept of minimally invasive education, which aims to introduce technology literacy without any formal training. This concept was first tried in the Hole in the Wall project in New Delhi, India, where children taught themselves to use an Internet-connected PC that was placed in an outdoor kiosk on the street.
In the rural town of Cwili in the Eastern Cape, a similar computer was made available after having gained the permission of the community leaders in the area. It was noted that around 60% of the township`s children taught themselves or each other basic computer functionality, including the ability to drag windows and open applications, while playing educational games, accessing the Internet and writing letters.
The adults of the town were more intimidated by their lack of knowledge, and tended to use the computer during later hours.
The project has "exceeded all expectations, so much so that Cwili`s children were two to three months ahead of their Indian counterparts," says Lebo Sebesho, project co-ordinator for the CSIR.
With 1.3% of the black population in SA having access to the Internet, this study indicates that Internet access and literacy need not only be the providence of those who can afford the necessary hardware investment, say project organisers.
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