Minister Ben Ngubane Led Children During Launch Of Computer Literacy Pilot Project "Minimally Invasive Education" In Rural Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape

19 December 2002

The Minister responsible for Science and Technology, Dr Ben Ngubane, delivered a keynote address during the demonstration of a computer literacy project, a joint undertaking between the Department of Science and Technology and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, on Saturday, 21 December 2002, at Cwili Community Hall, on the border of Morgan Kay and Kei Mouth in the Eastern Cape.

The Minimally Invasive Education project is in line with government’s commitment to rural development as it affords children in rural areas access to a multimedia kiosk which provides various computer applications, including the Internet. Already, research conducted in India indicates that children posses the cognitive ability to acquire functional computer skills without formal training. This pilot project seeks to find out whether similar findings in South Africa could serve to inform policies and methodologies to introduce alternative mechanisms for computer literacy.

Beneficial outcomes of a successfully introduced Minimally Invasive Education project would, amongst other things, inform policies and initiatives in the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) for development, such as telemedicine, distance education, technology literacy, demand and supply for ICT infrastructure in technologically underdeveloped areas and NEPAD.

The Department of Science and Technology believes that the experience gained from the Minimally Invasive Education project will benefit the community, development and creation of employment opportunities, and ultimately, South Africa’s economic development.

DETAILS

Date: Saturday, 21 December 2002
Time: 10:00
Venue: Cwili Community Hall (Cwili Township)-on the border of Morgan Kay and Kei Mouth in the Eastern Cape