Date: 17/06/2004

By: Bulelani Phillip

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More than 6 000 pupils in the Cape Town area will now have guaranteed computer access in their schools after installations in 10 city schools. Although many did not witness the installations because of the public holiday yesterday, some pupils and teachers were there excitedly waiting to start tapping on the keyboards.

'I am happy that my school has now got computers because this will help me with my goals,' said Ntomboxolo Ntengo of Masivuke Primary School in PhiUppi.

Some of the other schools that benefited from this project are in Mitchell's Plain, Athlone, Elsies River and Kensington.

The initiative is the result of a donation by the Shuttleworth Foundation.

Each of the 10 schools received 20 computers and will be initially supported with software and training.

The Shuttleworth Foundation has been running this Open Source Learning Centre (OSLC) Project since last August.

The foundation is planning to install computers in at least 80 Western Cape schools by the end of this year.

The co-ordinator of the OSLC project, Casey Olson, said: 'We are trying to educate and make young people aware of the importance of computer literacy and hopefully this will increase the usage of computers and skills.

'If we start teaching them computers at a young age then that will have a huge benefit in the long run.'

The principal of Windermere Primary School in Kensington, Bryan Chechen, said:

'These computers are a dream come true because we have been waiting for this for a long time. Our learners and community will definitely benefit from this.'

The schools will train community members at least once a month in using the computers, or allow them to produce documents like a Curriculum Vitae (CV).