ALISON Case Studies - South Africa - Tembisa Community Computing Centres

Tembisa Community Computing Centres Implementing ALISON into Local Schools, Tembisa, South Africa

TEMBISA COMMUNITY COMPUTING CENTRES - Quality education close to home

A National E-learning Charity
735 Ndulwini Section, George Nyanga Drive, Tembisa,1632.
E-mail:computer.tccc@webmail.co.za

Project Update: 2009- 2010

To conduct a trial for a web based computer training course called ALISON ABC-IT. To conduct a research project to prove the effects of early computer literacy at high school level

Develop contacts and establish relationships with the local school principals and School Governing Bodies

In 2008 we submitted a research proposal to the Gauteng Provincial Department of Education seeking permission to conduct a research study ( The Effects of Early Computer Literacy on Matric Academic Performance).The proposal was approved and we were given permission to contact at least 4 secondary schools in Tembisa as we would have liked for the study to be multi-centred. Of the four schools we approached only one gave us permission to conduct the study (Tembisa High School)

We invited at least 3 representatives each from all the secondary schools in the area for our introductory seminar, and only 6 schools out of 11 attended our presentation. Some educators raised concern with the form of research methology we had chosen, (Controlled Randomised Trail).They felt that it was going to limit or prevent the learners which were not part of our study from engaging in any form of computer literacy for their entire high school years for us to get a pure control group at the end of our study, so we had to reconsider our research question to a quantities study that would look at the levels of school drop outs in the previous years compared to during the periods of our longitudinal 4 year study. Therefore we had to start preparing a new research proposal which is due for submission in November 2010.

The project was officially launched on the 10 Feb 2009 following several meetings with the E-learning Team of the Ekurhuleni North District, Department of Education. On 21st February 2009 we made a presentation to all the education stake holders in the district during their annual IMBIZO. ( All the principals in Tembisa, District Officials, Representatives from the MEC of Education Office, Local Government officials and School Governing Bodies).

We received a very positive response from that presentation, however due to lack of funding we made mention of the fact that we will be asking the parents to help us by donating a minimum of R300 towards the study manuals and volunteer allowances. Some people felt that what we were asking was reasonable; however they expressed concern that some parents will not be able to make this contribution as they fail to pay school fees of about R150.Some of the principals were reluctant to get involved with anything that involves asking parents for money.

Our sponsor , Busalph Global IT Training offered to sponsor the trial with the hope that once the parents see what we had to offer, they will understand why we need their help. The trial was launched and 160 grade 9 learners were randomly selected. Tembisa High had 90 computers without internet access in two separate labs and 24 computers from Gauteng on Line which were supposed to have had internet access but was undergoing some technical upgrades done. We had to initiate internet installation for the 90 computers and,we incurred 50% of the cost .

The learners were divided into groups, some attended on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other group on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We had 4 volunteers to supervise and assist the learners after school. In Nov 2009 the trial was completed, with 80 out of 160 learners completing the first module of ABC- IT succsefully. 50 learners out of the 80 that did not complete the study had dropped out of school and the remaining 30 lost interest due to all the technical problems we were having during the trial. It took the learners 6 months to complete the first module by attending 2 hours 3 times a week.

The 80 learners that completed the trial were given a further sponsorship from Busalph Global IT Training to complete the course. These learners are now competent users of the Internet and E-mail, they also have a good understanding about computers in general. The second and third module will train them on the use of the Microsoft Office Suite and Touch Typing. For this we would like to thank the ALISON Team for their support and guidance.

We are currently operating in two schools, with about 24 new Grade 9s at Tembisa High and 48 in Bokamoso secondary schools. We are hoping to launch the project in 2-3 new schools in 2011. We are currently developing a computer centre in the community so we can commence our adult education program.

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Busi Nwosu, one of the staff from Tembisha Community Computing Centres.

Busi giving students of a local college a presentation about the benefits of ALISON ABC IT

A poster from Buslaph, who helped sponsor the programme.