As the new school year starts, learners and teachers at Umhloti Primary School in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, will join the global tech savvy community, learning to adapt to the modern tools thanks to their new solar-powered PC lab.
giveITback, in partnership with Poynting and African Union Communications, donated the first of its solar-powered computer labs to Umhloti Primary School to address the need for learners to better understand ICT.
During the launch of the paperless classrooms around Gauteng last week, deputy-president Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted that one of the factors constraining economic growth in South Africa is the relative shortage of e-skills. He called on the private sector to support the initiative to make ICT education a reality in schools.
Badsha Adam, Umhloti Primary School principal, says: “By exposing our learners to computers, they will learn how to actively seek information, which we believe will significantly contribute to their development and eventual competitiveness in the job market.”
After a lengthy and rigorous testing period, the commercially-available solar-powered container lab is ready to take rural schools into the digital age. These labs, holding 21 computers, are specifically developed for non-affluent schools, addressing lack of electrical infrastructure, lack of building infrastructure and lack of access to technology.
“This innovation holds potential for bringing technology to schools in areas where help is needed most, to give their learners the best chance at a bright future,” says Jonathan Michael, founder of giveITback. “Access to ICT is an investment in our country’s future and is one of the most valuable gifts the next generation can receive.”
Since 2011, giveITback has successfully installed 21 fully functioning computer labs in schools throughout the country, positively impacting more than 20 000 underprivileged children. Umhloti Primary School is the first to receive a computer lab that runs on renewable energy.
