The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) has announced that a R500 million budget has been set aside to equip almost 1.5 million pupils in the province with Internet and e-mail facilities.
GautengOnline.com was officially launched on 14 June to complement Youth Day activities on 16 June. The initiative hopes to revolutionise education in the province by creating an interactive networked public schooling system, capable of harnessing the power of information and communication technology.
"Xylo has been involved with GautengOnline since its inception in 2000. In that year we supplied 800 PIII Xylo computers, followed by a further 600 PIII and P4 computers this year. By 2005, GautengOnline.com will have equipped 2 400 schools in the province with computers and Internet connectivity," states Mark Forbes, Xylo brand manager at Siltek Local Brands.
The successful implementation of the project will conclude with each school having computer centres with 25 workstations, including at least one teacher trained in information technology.
"The initiative aims not only to supply the equipment, but also to provide teachers with the training necessary to use the equipment effectively," explains Forbes.
Gauteng MEC for Education, Ignatius Jacobs, says the department wants to ensure that Gauteng`s pupils are more properly equipped for the technological age.
The initiative aims to provide educators and learners from all cultural and social backgrounds with equal access to the best educational tools available. Students exposed to computers and the Internet at school level will be more marketable in today`s hi-tech corporate environment.
Forbes explains that there is an ever-widening technological gap in South African education which needs to be addressed. "Students across the social spectrum need to have equal access to modern technology. This initiative will go a long way in increasing the chances of a school-leaver finding a job. Xylo is proud to be associated with a project of such great social value," concludes Forbes.
Share
SDD, the focused IT company in the Siltek Technology Chain Group, is SA`s largest broad-based distributor of information technology. SDD encourages black empowerment opportunities and is the partner of choice of several leading vendors.
It distributes a wide range of `best of breed` hardware and software products, as well as peripherals, components and consumables.
SDD configures branded hardware and builds-to-order Xylo, Vision and Fujitech, its own range of PCs. SDD has branches in Gauteng, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit and Namibia. Outside SA, the company has partnerships in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Siltek Limited
Siltek Limited leads the Southern African technology supply chain. Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1969, Siltek comprises several complementary operating companies, each of which is a key player in its niche focus area.
Siltek Limited is grouped into three main operating divisions, namely Volume Distribution, Specialist Distribution and Supply Chain Services. Companies in the Volume division are SDD, Workgroup and MemtekMMW. Specialist Distribution consists of Siltek Telecoms, Chemetrix, Siltek Healthcare Solutions, Siltek Midrange Solutions and Intelligent Systems. Imperitek, Merchandise IT and Siltek Finance make up the Supply Chain Services division.
Editorial contacts