Solar power could boost South African learners in achieving computer literacy.

Zwelenqaba Senior Secondary School in Tafelahash in the old Transkei is the site of a Solar Lab project with laptops including internet connections powered by solar energy.

There are plans to extend the project and include other schools. The two satellite Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) involved in the program will be Bafazi JSS and Kwantshunqe JSS.

The old Transkei is home to many rural areas without electricity and the traditional route of extending the grid to include them takes money and time. Solar power can circumvent these obstacles and bring computers to young learners in these rural schools who are intent on achieving computer literacy when they leave school and seek work in the growing South African economy.

The Department of Education has stated its aim of computer literacy for all school leavers by 2012 and solar power could be the energy boost needed to achieve this aim.

   http://ekhayaict.com/wiki/index.php?title=Zwelenqaba_School_Project

http://ict4d.at/2008/08/27/interesting-projects-zwelenqaba/

The Daily Dispatch recently debated the word Transkei online.

The word Transkei was used by the former National Party government to refer to the bantustan, located on the Wild Coast mostly between the Kei river in the South and the Umtamvuna in the North,  made nominally independent under apartheid. The word means “across the Kei” in IsiXhosa and existed before the National Party named the area.

It has long been a source of debate and conjures up memories of oppression for some and for others it brings to mind the idea that Transkei will be independent as the 10th province no longer falling under the Eastern Cape.

Here is a link to the debate.

http://blogs.dispatch.co.za/dispatchnow/2008/03/18/homeland-revisited/

This is a link to background on the name at Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transkei