...just another rant

Not so long ago I went to a small town a few km's outside of Port Elizabeth. During my time there I visited three schools. One was a Black school (lack of a better description), the second a predominantly Colored school (previously a Catholic run school) and the third was a White school. The latter two one could see they had been around for many decades but the first was predominantly new, judging by the infrastructure anyway.

A quick survey at the first school revealed that there was once a computer lab, the room still exists, inside however was a different story. A quick scan would show that there had been computers but someone had helped himself on a few of them, 12 to be exact. All that remained were 12 keyboards and monitors plus the server. Asking the current Principal what had happened, it turns out the community or someone had helped himself on the PC's so they were sitting somewhere being used by someone while the school kids will miss out on learning anything about computers or learning anything that could be researched on the computer (internet).

A walk into his office would also reveal something shocking. He had a safe full with Tablets (no, not those people pop but those gadgets that make people go gaga). But he did not have the key. Well, the kids at that school must forget about using a computer and a tablet this year, but hey they're still there. So I asked, "Do you have a CAT/IT teacher at the school?" and the answer was a resounding "NO." So it turns out, someone had come, built a computer lab, placed computers, had a network, installed software and connected the PC's and there is nobody to supervise the kids. So these kids are left with a tool and nobody to show them how the tool works or the benefits that can be derived from the tool. So it is expected for kids to learn without a teacher. Not his fault, he was there for a month when I arrived. This by the way is not an isolated story. Many rural communities face this challenge of receiving computers without a way forward.

So lets move on to the second school. I walk into Principal's office, huge building which he shares with the secretary. He is sitting on his desk and she on hers, I can clearly see both of them since there aren't any partitions. So I make my request to address the principal, I am politely told to have a sit, she walk to the principal's desk a few steps from where I stood, a few shuffling of papers by him and he calls me to speak to him. Well I achieve what I came to do and I leave. No Drama there.

Walking into the third and final school was the thing that made me sad. One could clearly see the school was very old, and yet it was the cleanest, most organised and well resourced of the three. I was not there for long but one could see the Administration and the love the teachers had for teaching and for their students.

This then brings me to my ranting, ...to be continued!!!