If pupils in the Western Cape are connected to their peers and experts around the world, they have the ability to lead in their fields of choice, says IT billionaire Mark Shuttleworth.
Shuttleworth has offered broadband access to every school in the Western Cape through a new undersea cable.
He said he had an agreement in principle with state-owned enterprise Infraco to acquire a share of the bandwidth on the West Africa Cable System (Wacs) linking South Africa with the UK.
On the back of that agreement he had proposed an arrangement with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).
"Essentially, it would allow the WCED to buy internet access wholesale in a very large global market," he said.
The proposal depended on the ability of the department to create a network connecting schools to one another and to the international cable.
The department would also have to acquire internet access in London.
Shuttleworth said the broadband would not be free, as suggested by Education MEC Donald Grant.
"Nevertheless, I'm delighted that the proposal has been well received and am confident that the end goal is achievable."
He praised InfracoҒs support and the commitment of the WCED.
No comments:
Post a Comment