The Department of Education, together with a non-governmental organisation SA History Online (SAHO), has launched a Web site as a resource site and teaching aid for pupils and students.
The site is supported by the international groups, Ford Foundation and Ireland Aid.
SAHO director Omar Badsha says the Web site includes curriculum-based content and also provides an opportunity for people to write their own stories, giving students access to often-neglected oral history not usually found in textbooks.
"The site provides the largest chronology on SA history as well as specialist chronologies, the largest listing of biographies and detailed information on key issues on South African history such as politics, people, arts and culture. It also has a town and country section.
"The project will allow young people to not only capture the history of our diverse communities but will allow teachers to fulfil a range of curriculum goals, such as the teaching of social responsibility, critical thinking, writing skills and research methods."
Badsha says the Web site will be linked closely with the department's curriculum and will be particularly beneficial for teachers and pupils who do not have access to textbooks.
"The site will be continually updated, giving schools that do not have textbooks a valuable resource. We are currently preparing teaching aids for the current matrics studying history that they will be able to download for their studies."
Badsha says in the near future CD-ROMs with the education department's history curriculum will be given to schools, but until then teachers and pupils can use the Web site to get the information the need.
Teachers will also be consulted on a continual basis to keep the site relevant and look at ways to improve it for use in the classroom, he says.
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