[linuxola] SchoolNet Nambia - LTSP project in Africa
philipp at schoolnet.na
philipp at schoolnet.na
Mon Nov 21 11:40:11 CET 2005
Hello
I was reading some emails ... perhaps I give also some inputs to your project.
May I introduce myself, I am working for a Swiss NGO [2] for the the Nambian
NGO SchoolNet [3] (If you want to read more about my work and my live here in
Namibia please read our newsletter [1] ).
SchoolNet has the aim to put up computer and internet access to all schools
(1600) of Namibia. At this time 450 schools of Namibia are using already
SchoolNet. For Linux distribution, SchoolNet uses OpenLab [4] . The actually
version is 3.2.8 but the newest upcoming version 4 is now in betatesting and
will shortly been released for our schools. From the website [4] you can
download the newest OpenLab version as a Live CD. The Live CD is a light
version of what the schools get. The whole set for a installation contains 4
CDs or a DVD. A OpenLab Server (terminal server, LTSP) can support up to 20
thin clients.
Besides computers we provide the schools with internet access. We have our own
ISP provider and can provide 24/7 internet for 300N$ (~44 U$) per month (WLAN
or telephon line). We also provide toll free helpdesk support for our
schools. Further more we have a weekly comics story, called HAI-TI, which we
publish in the national newspaper of Namibia. The comics you can download
from the SchoolNet homepage..
Our comics has won an award in the community-engagement category at the
just-ended World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, Tunisia
[8].
More information about Schoolnet you find in the attached file or in the
presentation about SchoolNet [5].
Now to your project...
* SchoolNet Africa NGO
Africa has already the "SchoolNet Africa" NGO [6], which has the aim to
improve the use of ICT (Information and communication technologies) in
Africa. What I know, at this time there are some SchoolNet projects in Egypt,
Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. All this project are
different, not all of them use Linux as a operating system.
SchoolNet Africa has published the African SchoolNet toolkit (ISBN
1-894975-16.2, 275 pages) as a guidline to introduce SchoolNet in this
countries. The toolkit is free available on their homepage [6].
So a new project, like yours, in this field should be connected to SchoolNet
Africa.
* second-hand computers
SchoolNet Namibia uses second-hand computers for their clients. The experience
in the past showed us that second hand monitors are to expensive to import
and keybords and mouses are cheap available in the local market. So just the
computer itself is second hand, the monitors, mouses and keyboards and the
server are brand new. For setting up the second hand computers it is useful
to have a large scale of the same model. For that reason, we buy our second
hand computers through an American second-hand PC dealer for U$ 45 each. This
year the Nambian Telecom Company donated hunderts of old computers to us, so
we even get the second-hand computers for free.
So if you want to start deploying your computer labs in an african country you
need locals partners , like NGO's, that work together with you. And you
should also try to get this second hand computers from a local company
(goverment, banks, Telecom) in this countries for free.
Please note, computer literacy in most African countries is still on a very
low level. To send computers to Africa is also a controversial thing. Lots of
schools have donated computers, but are helpless when problems occur!! Make
sure that local support is available, otherwise the systems will be useless
after a while:-)
I hope this inputs are useful...
Philipp
Links
[1] Our project page about our work here in Nambia / Rundu - Here you find
also a newsletter about my work.
http:// www.morokeni.ch
[2] Swiss NGO
http:// www.interteam.ch
[3] Homepage from SchoolNet Namibia.
http:// www.schoolnet.na
[4] Homepage from the distrubution OpenLab
www.getopenlab.com
[5] presentation about SchoolNet.
http://www.morokeni.ch/schoolnet/PresentationSchoolNet.odp
http://www.morokeni.ch/schoolnet/PresentationSchoolNet.ppt
[6] Official SchoolNet Africa page - here you find a concept paper about
SchoolNet's in Africa
http://www.schoolnetafrica.net
[7] SchoolNet Toolkit for african countries
http://toolkit.schoolnetafrica.net
[8] press articel - Namibian youth NGO wins WSIS award (18 Nov 05)
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=256898&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/
[9] Public CD Burn station - Bring you CD and get your Linux of our choice on
it
http://www.freedomtoaster.org/
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SchoolNet NA - Youth Empowerment through Information and Comunication
Technology
SchoolNet Namibia provides sustainable, low cost technology solutions and
internet access, as well as technical support, training services and rich
educational content to schools, community-based educational organistaions,
and educational practitioners throughout Namibia.
www.schoolnet.na
toll free number: 0800 005793
Philipp Hanselmann
philipp at schoolnet.na
cell +264 (0)81 2273695
home +264 (0)66 255308