Systems integrator Unisys has followed up its successful implementation of computer centres at schools in the Gauteng region with a series of teacher training programmes designed to maximise the spread of IT skills throughout the educational community.
"The training programme is part of our agreement with the Gauteng Online project," says Maphum Nxumalo, area sales director, public sector and telecommunications, at Unisys Africa. Unisys signed up to the project, driven by the Gauteng Education Department, to provide five schools in the region with a fully equipped computer centre each.
The training, which takes place at the Unisys head-office in Sunninghill, sees up to 30 teachers at a time being given training in IT hardware, software, MS Office applications, Internet and e-mail use, and specific educational programmes linked to the schools` curricula.
"The object of teaching the educators is so that they in turn can pass these skills on to the learners," says Nxumalo. "From there it will spread out into the community, and help create the digital awareness revolution which this country urgently needs."
The educators themselves have seized the opportunity with both hands. "This is a wonderful chance for us to pass on these skills to the learners, most of whom have not previously had the opportunity to interact with a computer," says Karum Chinappa, principal at Villa Liza Primary in Boksburg.
"It is critical for our children to be able to master information technology, given the digital age into which we are moving," adds teaching colleague Sarojina Naidoo, deputy principal at Villa Liza.
"This project is undoubtedly the best thing that could have happened to our school," says Chinappa. "By teaching us, Unisys has done so much for our school and for the country as a whole."
For many of the educators, the training sessions were also their first encounter with a computer. "Overall, however, they have coped very well," says Chantal Gomes, training manager at the Information Technology Training Academy, which was subcontracted by Unisys to provide the training staff.
"The course has been specially designed and tailored around the fact that we are dealing with educators rather than office workers," Gomes says. "This means, for example, that when teaching Excel, real-life examples of student score calculations have been used to show the educators how, in practical terms, the computers can help them."
The training courses, which last six days for six hours per day, will continue until all the schools in the project have been covered.
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