The Western Cape Education Department has launched a major initiative to bring information and communication (ICT) technology to schools in the Overberg district.

The department marked the launch of the project by opening world-class computer facilities at Kleinmond Primary School today (16 November, 2001).

The school is one of 55 schools taking part in the WCED's Overberg Project, which in turn forms part of the department's Khanya Technology in Education Project.

The Khanya project is developing innovative ways of using information and communication technologies to deliver curriculum and improve the quality of education in the Western Cape.

The Western Cape Minister of Education, Helen Zille, said the facilities at Kleinmond compared with the best in the world.

"They also reflect the vision of Khanya – there are enough computers and dedicated support to ensure that these systems can be used to deliver curriculum effectively."

She paid particular tribute to the work of local circuit managers, teachers, school managements and the local community who helped to ensure that the facilities were installed in record time.

"Thanks to this commitment, Khanya is gathering pace rapidly in the Overberg in particular. We are extremely grateful for this dedication, which provides a very important example to follow elsewhere in the province."

The Overberg project owes its origins to initiatives by circuit managers, Ms Wendy Colyn and Mr Japie Basson, and interested teachers and wellwishers who began preparing the ground for ICT in the region about three years ago.

They asked to join Khanya earlier this year. The Khanya Project team is currently completing pilot installations at four Overberg schools.

The four schools are Kleinmond and Maxonia primary schools in the Grabouw district, Swartberg Primary in Caledon, and The Glebe Primary in Middleton.

These schools were all chosen because they all meet the criteria of having sound school management, committed staff and parents, good security, and serve poor communities.

The pilot installations will help to guide the Khanya team as they roll out the project to the remaining schools in the Overberg and the province as a whole.

"One of the lessons we have already learnt is the importance of community support and involvement," said Mr Kobus van Wyk, Director of the Khanya Project.

The enthusiasm of the local community played a huge role in the success of Kleinmond Primary project.

The community rallied to help prepare the facilities, and helped to reduce the overall installation time from what could have been 10 months to 10 weeks. The Khanya team also used local suppliers wherever possible.

In addition to a state-of-the-art computer laboratory housing 30 computers, the Khanya team has installed four computers and a printer in every classroom, for each grade, and a media centre housing eight computers, printers, a digital camera and a scanner.

They have also installed computers in the science laboratory and in special art and technology areas. The staff room has four computers, printers and a scanner. The whole system is linked to a powerful server and the internet.

With 85 computers, the school boasts a ratio of one computer for five learners, which compares favourably with the best installations in Europe and the United States, Mr Van Wyk said.

In addition to the hardware installation, the WCED is installing software and training staff to ensure that the facilities are used appropriately, Mr Van Wyk said.

"It's important to note that we are not only promoting computer literacy. We will use these systems to deliver curriculum. In the end, these systems must help to improve teaching and learning performance, especially in numeracy and literacy."

The Khanya team is using the pilot installations to learn how to reduce installation delivery times, how to ensure that these systems make a meaningful difference to teaching and learning, and how to prepare teachers as quickly as possible for using ICT effectively.

The team expects to complete the remaining three pilot installations in the Overberg region next week.

Swartberg Primary in Caledon will boast a computer laboratory housing 51 computers, fout computers in the staff room, and an additional six in the school library, among other items.

The 200 learners at Maxonia Primary will have access to 26 computers in a computer laboratory, and a further 28 computers in their classrooms.

The Glebe, which accommodates 100 learners, does not have a suitable room for a computer laboratory, so the school's 32 computers are being installed in four specially equipped rooms that are being used for teaching multigrade classes.

The Glebe's installation will be used to investigate how best to use computers in multigrade classes - where more than one grade is being taught in a class. This situation is common in rural schools, and the lessons learnt will be applied in other rural schools.

The ratios of computers to children at all four schools compare favourably with best international practice, Mr Van Wyk said.

The Khanya team hopes to complete installations at all 55 schools taking part in the Overberg Project by the end of March 2003. This will involve installing between 500 and 600 computers. The project has installed about 220 computers in the Overberg region to date.