School Gets Online With New Computer Centre - The Argus, 18 June 2004

Teachers and pupils at Ravensmead Senior Secondary School have been given their ticket to the information superhighway with the opening of their fully equipped computer centre.

The centre, officially opened last night by Premier Ebrahim Rasool, is an Education Department initiative aimed at exposing pupils from disadvantaged communities to the world of computers.

Under the auspices of the Khanya Project, which has worked in conjunction with the department to provide underprivileged schools with computer centers, Ravensmead received 27 computers, two printers, a server and an internet connection.

Khanya director, Jacobus van Wyk said it had established 260 centres at schools across the Western Cape. He urged businesses present last night to invest in the centre's maintenance because 'that's the only way a poor school can maintain such a project.'

Rasool said computer centers were vital, especially at 'black schools.'
Otherwise these schools would be left behind. We need t look at how best we can prepare our youth for the future. This centre of Ravensmead is a centre of aspiration and it exposes pupils to the wonders of technology,' said Rasool.

Charlene Fillies, regional manager for Absa, which co-sponsored the event, said now more than ever pupils needed to be taught mathematics, science and technology.

The school's principal, Joseph Bouman, said the opening of the centre was the highlight of the school's 21-year history.
'Our focus now with the centre is to improve our pass rates in certain areas, like mathematics. Already our matrics are giving up one of their breaks to do revision work on the computers,' said Bouman.