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Date: 09 Sep 2005 Title: Mini labs take science to rural schools --------------------------------------------------------------- By Kulani Mavunda Bethal - Rural high school pupils in Mpumalanga will now have access to well-equipped mini science laboratories. The mini laboratories are small, compact, durable boxes that weigh no more than 15kg and do not need electricity. They also come with printed and electronic manuals, as well as equipment and chemicals for the Grade 8 and 9 Natural Science curricula. "The mini labs are designed to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary education by stimulating an interest in science," said provincial education spokesperson Thomas Msiza. He said the mini labs were donated by a marketing company called the Bright Idea Project. "The new laboratories will allow pupils to put theory into practical learning," he said. Mini-labs have already been donated to Lekete and KwaMhlanga high schools. Co-owner of the Bright Idea Project, Isaac Johnson, said the manuals would eventually be translated in all eleven languages and cater for grades four to nine. "Language will not be a barrier," he said. "We envisage the mini lab to be a standard item in all under-resourced schools, in both rural and metropole regions, within the next two years." On Friday, eight more mini labs, worth R48 000, will be handed over to Ikhethelo Secondary School in Mzinoni near Bethal. - BuaNews

On the outskirts of the village, a single computer sits in an empty room. The processor is not the fastest, the screen is an older style CRT monitor, but the sheer fact that it is here at all is enough. The village is now online, and with the help of Akash, a local who has been trained to use the computer, villagers now have access to a wealth of information.

Some 70 per cent of India’s citizens live in villages or small towns but only 2 per cent have access to fixed-line or cellular phones.