The network society: A model for computing infrastructure in South African schools

Worldwide computers are being used in schools for, amongst other things, developing the knowledge and skills required for citizens to be able to operate within the 21st Century Information Age. Realising the potential of technology in uplifting the lives of its citizens the South African government has proposed the National Broadband Plan (SA Connect). However, unfortunately this plan only addresses the networking aspect of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this paper we investigate appropriate Information Technologies for schools in the light of SA Connect, and propose a model for the computing infrastructure required in South African schools in order to support access to and adoption of technology and networks. This model is based on our multi-year experimentation in the Siyakhula Living Lab.