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Industry Insight
13 February 2001
Gauteng to launch public ISP, give schools PCs
BY
STAFF WRITER
[
13 February 2001
] -
Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa yesterday announced the formation of GautengOnline.com , a provincial government Internet service provider (ISP), which is to provide every scholar in the province with an e-mail address.
Speaking at the opening of the Gauteng provincial legislature, Shilowa echoed President Thabo Mbeki in raising the digital divide as an issue demanding government attention.
“The information and communication technology revolution presents great opportunities for economic and social development,” Shilowa said. “However, it also has the potential risk of further polarising society. Government therefore has an important role to play in ensuring that the benefits are not confined to an elite but are used as a tool for the development and empowerment of society.”
Shilowa announced that the provincial government had registered the domain name GautengOnline.com in preparation to launch an ISP with the same name. He said plans to provide every school-going student in the province with free Internet access and an e-mail address were “at an advanced stage”.
The initiative is also to provide an average of 25 computers per school in the province, on condition that the schools have security measures in place to protect the equipment.
“By 2006, every learner at a public school should have a personal e-mail address, which they can use anywhere there is a Web-enabled facility,” Shilowa said.
He pledged the government to providing the software and teacher training needed to make the initiative sustainable.
Some R500 million has been allocated to the programme, which is to serve an estimated 1.5 million pupils.
Shilowa also said GautengOnline would aim to stimulate economic activity by providing IT skills and enhancing the efficiency of government.
“Today we issue a challenge to institutions of higher learning in our province to take note of our plans,” he said. “They need to start now to put in place plans that will help produce learners who are ready to take up employment in the new economy.”
Details of the initiative are expected later this week.
Related stories:
Oracle, HP, Siemens in government taskforce
Speaking at the opening of the Gauteng provincial legislature, Shilowa echoed President Thabo Mbeki in raising the digital divide as an issue demanding government attention.
“The information and communication technology revolution presents great opportunities for economic and social development,” Shilowa said. “However, it also has the potential risk of further polarising society. Government therefore has an important role to play in ensuring that the benefits are not confined to an elite but are used as a tool for the development and empowerment of society.”
Shilowa announced that the provincial government had registered the domain name GautengOnline.com in preparation to launch an ISP with the same name. He said plans to provide every school-going student in the province with free Internet access and an e-mail address were “at an advanced stage”.
The initiative is also to provide an average of 25 computers per school in the province, on condition that the schools have security measures in place to protect the equipment.
“By 2006, every learner at a public school should have a personal e-mail address, which they can use anywhere there is a Web-enabled facility,” Shilowa said.
He pledged the government to providing the software and teacher training needed to make the initiative sustainable.
Some R500 million has been allocated to the programme, which is to serve an estimated 1.5 million pupils.
Shilowa also said GautengOnline would aim to stimulate economic activity by providing IT skills and enhancing the efficiency of government.
“Today we issue a challenge to institutions of higher learning in our province to take note of our plans,” he said. “They need to start now to put in place plans that will help produce learners who are ready to take up employment in the new economy.”
Details of the initiative are expected later this week.
Related stories:
Oracle, HP, Siemens in government taskforce
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