Non-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) Vastfontein Community Transformation (Vastfontein) has unveiled its Hub of Excellence - an ICT training centre.
According to Johan Grobler, founder of Vastfontein, this is an important step in the development of the NGO and will assist in impacting and educating more children, not only in Vastfontein, but from its neighbouring communities too.
"We are very excited about this development at Vastfontein. I believe this will not only impact the learners at our school and learners from neighbouring communities, but also the ICT sector in the future," says Grobler.
With the support of donors, the NGO has already started to introduce e-learning in its primary school by building a digital hub that provides a wide selection of online and offline digital educational resources to learners and teachers.
"The whole Vastfontein complex is already equipped with a WiFi network hotspot with data handling capabilities. The installation of Edu365, an educational and management information system, is to follow soon. The same e-learning applications will also be installed in our high school," comments Jakoo de Villiers, CTO of Vastfontein.
Grobler says Vastfontein's ultimate goal is to stream subject teaching, conducted by teachers in their school, to previously disadvantaged schools situated in townships close to Vastfontein.
In mid-August, Vastfontein will start with a trial gap year for the unemployed youth from Hammanskraal and Maubane, where the two receiver hubs will be installed. The focus will be on personal development as well as the development of entrepreneurial and farming skills. Throughout the programme, information and communication technology will be used.
"We invite companies from the ICT sector who are sharing in our vision, to transform the previously disadvantaged communities of our country, to partner with us in creating an ICT platform, called the Hub of Excellence.
"Combined with our past experience in community transformation, the Hub will allow us to educate, to motivate and to alleviate poverty within our communities. Along with our partners from the industry, we want to use the Hub to empower people in practical ways to be educated and become socially and economically active. The Hub of Excellence aids transformation by narrowing the 'digital divide' in disadvantaged communities," concludes Grobler.
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