NamITech (Pty) Limited and the Boikanyo Primary School today officially opened a dedicated, fully equipped computer centre for use by the scholars and the local community. Boikanyo Primary School is located in Garankuwa and serves about 900 children.
The opening of the Technology Centre of Excellence is the culmination of over a year`s planning and project management.
"Following the ForgeAhead Black Achievers Awards in 2004, NamITech teamed up with winner Rod Grewan, then of SchoolNet SA, and donated five refurbished computers to Boikanyo Primary School," says Adam Jones, Managing Director of NamITech. "At the handover ceremony, we realised that a lot more is needed to be done in terms of making technology accessible to the young learners at the school."
Boikanyo was consequently chosen as the recipient of the funds raised by the NamITech Annual Golf Day and in September 2004, a cheque for R74 000 was handed over to the Principal, Mrs Regina Thekiso. The agreement between the parties was that the money would be used towards building a fully-equipped computer centre, and consensus was reached between the school, the community and the relevant education departments on how to take the project forward.
In addition to the initial donation from the golf day, NamITech committed a further R150 000 for 2005 to provide all the required hardware and software. Fifty computers, at an additional cost of R150 000, have also so far been donated to the centre. Part of the donated funds was used to purchase secure PC Domes to protect the equipment.
As many of the users of the centre will be novices, deputy principal, Harry Rapoo, has received training on Windows troubleshooting and support and is able to provide assistance to the scholars as required. The centre is fully networked, with network cabling, points and an equipment cabinet to the combined value of R28 000 being donated and installed by Fullrange Solutions.
Tinus Badenhorst, Managing Director of Fullrange Solutions, says: "There are 61 network points in total throughout the centre, all of which link through to the central equipment cabinet for ease of information management."
"This endeavour has truly been a community project," says Regina Thekiso. "From the start the Parents` Association were consulted. They believed so much in the value of the project that they undertook to contribute R130 per pupil for the year to ensure the building of the centre was a success."
"The project has been hugely successful for both parties," says Jones. "There was community buy-in from the beginning, and the regular meetings and communications ensured that everyone`s requirements were met. It was also important for NamITech that ownership of the programme passed to Boikanyo, and that we only provided assistance and advice where necessary."
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