The Gauteng department of education’s aim to ensure all pupils in the province are computer literate by 2013 might not be realised. <\/p>\n
The plan was to have all schools equipped with computers by April 1 this year, but that is unlikely to happen because the company assigned with installing the machines is not doing as promised.<\/p>\n
Gauteng Shared Services Centre awarded SMMT a R2million tender to install 25-seat computer labs to at least 400 schools by September last year. <\/p>\n
The rest were supposed to be online by next month.<\/p>\n
The consortium, SMMT Online, comprises SMM Telematics, Hawkstone Marketing, Sifikile, Self Empowerment International, Beget Holdings, Tebfin, Enlightened and Vimba security companies.<\/p>\n
There are 2100 schools in Gauteng and only 140 are currently online while 720 others use other networks.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the Gauteng Online Steering Committee, comprising school governing bodies, met to discuss the project. <\/p>\n
Spokesman Emmanuel Mudau said 80percent of the schools would be online by April.<\/p>\n
On why they did not reach their targets, he said: “As the roll-out model was changed fundamentally, the focus has been on establishing the central service node and the local service nodes. <\/p>\n
“The delivery network is central in ensuring the achievement of the key outcomes of the programme. The programme was thus re-prioritised to accommodate this reality.” <\/p>\n
SMMT spokesman Kgomotso Mogoshoa said: “The company inherited a bad product.<\/p>\n
“We had to reassess our plans and realised that we could not deliver on time. We will deliver to 80percent of the schools by March 31.”<\/p>\n
Mogoshoa could not say when the rest of the schools would be connected. <\/p>\n
“What is also hampering delivery is that in some schools we had to build labs as there were no spare classrooms.<\/p>\n
“The department said the containers we wanted to install in schools posed a health hazard to pupils.” <\/p>\n
But the problem with the implementation of the programme was security.<\/p>\n