[linuxola] SchoolNet Nambia - LTSP project in Africa

[Amadeus Wittwer]

Hello Philipp

Thanx, for your inputs! In this case you must know Denis Brandjes?

What are the requirements and the coast for a school with 20 workstations?

What do you think should be or can be our focus + our work + our part in CH?

peace + be wild amadeus



Am Montag 21 November 2005 11:40 schrieb philipp at schoolnet.na:
> 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/b
>reaking_news__business/
>
> [9] Public CD Burn station - Bring you CD and get your Linux of our choice
> on it
> http://www.freedomtoaster.org/
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 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
-- 
Amadeus Wittwer
+41 78 710 1479
www.vorortsupport.ch
skype: amadeus.ch