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|Inauguration
Athlone North Primary
Athlone North Primary has been serving the community of Kewtown since 1946 and today their feeder community stretches to neighbouring townships. The community is plagued by unemployment, gangsterism, drug abuse and low self-esteem and the classes are often as large as forty or fifty, which makes quality and holistic learner development extremely difficult. It is, however, exactly this that Athlone North Primary – headed by a past learner – is striving to do as they try to maintain their record of academic and sporting achievement.Almost crippled by financial constraints, Athlone North Primary recognised that computer skills are of vital importance in the 21st century. If they were to prepare their learners effectively for the future job market, they would have to find a way to procure technology for the school. With this goal in mind, their principal initiated a campaign to secure her school’s inclusion in the Khanya Project and her determined efforts were rewarded in April 2006. With the help of sponsors, educators and parents, Athlone North Primary was able to renovate and furnish their computer laboratory, secure it and fit it with a white board, fire extinguishers, air conditioning and blinds. All learners are exposed to the technology in their laboratory twice a week and they – and their educators – have taken to it like the proverbial ducks to water. They eagerly anticipate their visits to the laboratory and their visits are characterised by the desire to learn more. Their excitement knows no bounds – as they become more competent so this excitement grows. Learner discipline too has been positively affected and good behaviour is rewarded with more time in the laboratory. A new world is opening before them as they have access to more information. Educators at Athlone North Primary are undergoing their training with their Khanya facilitator. As they become more proficient with the programs, so their confidence and willingness to take risks with the use of the ICT for curriculum delivery increases. Some of the older educators initially found the experience fairly intimidating, but their perseverance has been admirable and they too are finding their way around the laboratory with growing confidence. Educators have more resources available to them in their lesson preparation and this has already impacted positively on their teaching. When the laboratory at this school is fully functional and the educator training is complete, the intention is to make the laboratory available to the parent body and community for computer literacy classes. They also hope to make the laboratory a fully-fledged resource centre for their learners. Athlone North Primary is in tune with the needs of their learners. They realise that they need to stay abreast of the latest trends if they are to have an impact in the lives of their learners who live in this age of technology where the technology changes every day. Their new Khanya laboratory will enable them to stay in touch and they believe that it will empower them to produce a confident learner who is well-equipped for the next level of their education and their lives.
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