Pupils’ joy as village school goes hi-tech
Ngcobo youth dream again after computer lab, Wi-Fi installed at Sthoza
Anathi Mtatshana might be attending school in one of the deep rural areas in Ngcobo where resources are hard to come by, but that has not stopped her from dreaming about becoming an astronaut. Matshana is a grade 12 pupil at Sthoza High School in Bokleni village, one of the most impoverished villages in the area. As a result, she battled to find all the right information about her career of choice and at times doubted that it could even become a reality. However, she, just like many of her schoolmates who dream of escaping the clutches of poverty, might just well be on her way to achieving her life-long dream. She was inspired after Eastern Cape finance MEC Oscar Mabuyane handed over a stateof-the-art computer lab fitted with Wi-Fi and 30 high quality computers to her school on Friday. “I could only Google on my phone the information I wanted to understand as to what the requirements are for one to become an astronaut,” she said. “But it was difficult because I did not have enough money to buy data,” she said. Her school principal, Mqondiso Ndyalvane, told the Daily Dispatch that many of his pupils came from very poor homes where families relied on state social grants for survival. He said pupils had to use their own cellphones for school research, but boasted that his school had achieved an 82.5% matric pass rate last year. “This is a quintile 1 school located in one of the far and deeply-rural areas. Families survive through grants but with these computers, we will be able to achieve even more as the school.” Mabuyane told Ndyalvane that the smart computer lab was not only for Sthoza but should be utilised by other feeder schools, including primary schools in other villages. He said the computers would help bring New York, London and Beijing to Bokleni at the click of the button. “They [pupils] don’t have to pay R50 to go to Mthatha or go to East London to be exposed. I encountered a computer when I entered varsity. Education is a master key for young people who to better themselves.” want The MEC said even young people hoping to apply for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme would be allowed to use the computer lab at Sthoza. People looking for jobs must also use the facility he said. Mabuyane said the facility was made possible by business people who worked with government as part of their corporate social investment programme. “This is a public asset. We are trying to bring the world closer to pupils and the people of Bokleni. No one should have to look for an internet cafe in town. We have brought it here.” Eastern Cape education superintendent-general Themba Kojana, said they were busy implementing a digital transformation programme to change the school environment. They were targeting mostly grade 4 and 8 pupils.
With computers we will be able to achieve even more as the school Mqondiso Ndyalvane Principal of Sthoza High School in Ngcobo