To mark International Girls in Information and Communication Technology Day last Friday, primary school pupils learnt basic computer skills during an Awarenet open-day educational programme at C M Vellem Higher Primary School in Joza.
To mark International Girls in Information and Communication Technology Day last Friday, primary school pupils learnt basic computer skills during an Awarenet open-day educational programme at C M Vellem Higher Primary School in Joza.
Hosted by the Village Scribe Association, of which Awarenet is a project, pupils from Seventh Day Adventist, Fikizolo, Samuel Ntsiko, Archie Mbolekwa schools also attended.
Administrator Viv Quin said they were teaching pupils from township primary schools basic computer literacy.
"It's good for them to start when they're young," she said. "They will get used to it as they grow up."
Wanda Fusa, in Grade 6 at Seventh Day Adventist, said, "It's my first time working on a computer and I'm so excited."
He said he had written about his school on the blog. Thendia Jenje, a teacher from Seventh Day Adventist, said the programme was very important because the pupils had no access to computers.
Selunathi Sandi, a Grade 8 pupil from Archie Mbolekwa, said, "I learned how to type and write on the blog and how to switch on the computer."
“The computer lab at CM Vellem HPS was full," said Quin. "There were two children to a computer. "
Once everyone had arrived, community coordinator Terri-Lynm Penney gave an overview of the Awarenet platform and programme using the projector.
The children then wrote a blog about their schools and received sponsored gifts, such as exam and note pads and pens.
The teachers were also very involved assisting the learners as they worked on their blogs.
"They also made suggestions and offered to help putting new teaching aids on to Awarenet.”
The next step in the project, said Quin, was to investigate the schools' new computer labs and organise Awarenet access for them.
"Then, we will give a workshop to train the teachers in Awarenet use. We will continue to support them by inviting them to current Awarenet projects and to the teachers’ network," Quin said.
The day's programme was supported by Postnet (pens), Office National (exam pads) and Sotheby's (magazines).
