High-tech computer lab for Olwandle High – South Coast Herald
Learners attending a financially-challenged and severely under-resourced high school are poised to be exposed to the digital age for the first time ever, thanks to the establishment of a new, high-tech computer laboratory recently.
The lab, set up at Olwandle High School in Gamalakhe, was the result of a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Al Baraka Bank, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and AdNotes.
To mark the official opening of the facility, Al Baraka Bank’s Regulatory Executive, Ebrahim Hassan said that the world is riding the crest of the technological wave, making digital expertise an imperative for 21st century learners in South Africa.
Sadly, however many of the country’s, especially, rural schools are exceptionally under-resourced and are unable to provide the necessary learning for the digital age.
“This country cannot afford to allow our learners to be left floundering in the backwaters of a digitally–driven world.”
The bank provided R398 902 for ICT hardware, inclusive of desktop computers, laptops, a printer and a projector, as well as software requirements.
“Our Sustainability and Social Responsibility Committee undertook site visits to Olwandle High, two primary schools and a community centre, all of which have access to the installed Wi–Fi hotspots, and tested connectivity.
“Olwandle High was identified to be included in the first roll out of this project. This has provided learners access to technology designed to assist their learning and provide access to the world,” added Hassan.
The lab is set to open up a new world of learning with the tools necessary to deepen learners’ knowledge, access a wealth of information quickly and easily and navigate life in the fourth industrial revolution.
“Funding the Olwandle High computer lab is a milestone project for Al Baraka Bank. We look forward to playing a critical and continued role, with the UNDP and its partners, to improve the standard of education in rural areas by opening the door to technology in under-resourced schools.
“The aim of this collaboration is to help improve the digital literacy and uptake of digital services and applications in those communities. We believe connecting schools, especially from rural and previously disadvantaged communities, is a great way to bridge the digital divide in South Africa.”
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