THE culmination of three year’s work and fundraising by a Menston-based charity has brought the internet to a remote South African school.

The Mnyakanya School can now use computers to enhance teaching and learning in this rural school, which has large class sizes and relatively few resources.

Over the past two years, the St Mary’s School, Menston based charity, the Bambisanani Partnership has worked closely with Tony Moodley from the Kwa Zulu Natal Department of Education, Uthungulu District Office and William Vilakazi, Principal of Mnyakanya School to develop a plan to utilise information technology to raise standards at the school and provide students with the necessary skills for the modern world.

Access to the internet now provides teachers and students with teaching and learning opportunities that would be taken for granted in the UK and indeed many schools in South Africa.

William Vilakazi said: “Thanks to the Bambisanani Partnership, we are the first rural school in the remote Nkandla region to have access to the internet. For the first time ever, we are now literally connected to the rest of the world and have access to resources that in time will support all aspects of the curriculum. Our Educators and Learners are very excited and motivated by the prospect, a prospect that many thought would be impossible to achieve.”

Tony Moodley added: “Our aim has always been to establish a Beacon of Excellence in ICT at Mnyakanya for its own learners and the surrounding community. Training, some hardware and now the internet have given us a firm foundation to develop this work further. This innovative project has the potential to provide a blueprint for success for remote rural schools throughout South Africa. The project has been fraught with difficulties and frustrations but has also provided the opportunity for valuable lessons to be learnt; all those involved in the Bambisanani Partnership deserve great credit for their determination in making it happen.”

David Geldart, founder and chairman of the Bambisanani Partnership said: “I have always been blown away with the desire and determination of Zulu children to learn and at the same time am heartbroken by the sheer number of barriers that prevent them from doing so. In the global village, these children are disadvantaged in so many ways and the absence of computers and the internet to aid their learning only serves to compound this. The ‘left behind’ have been increasingly left behind and the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ has got wider. Access to this technology has the potential to transform teaching, learning and study at the school which in turn has the potential to transform the life chances of its students. The staff and students at Mnyakanya will seize this opportunity with both hands. None of this could have happened without the amazing work of Tony Moodley and William Vilakazi on the ground; they have my utmost admiration and gratitude.”

Catherine Chattoe, Bambisanani Coordinator at St. Mary’s added: “This is the latest stage of ICT development at Mnyakanya that will establish a sound foundation for future plans. Our aim is to ultimately provide ICT opportunities for teaching and learning at Mnyakanya which any school in South Africa would be proud of.”