Changing the world one website at a time
DIEPSLOOT - Three underprivileged schools competed in a web-development competition.
The schools from Diepsloot, Tembisa and Cosmo City entered The Change the World Trust’s compeition.
The trust runs high-impact educational programmes in underprivileged schools and communities with a strong focus on information technology (IT).
Natalie Emery, co-founder and project manager for the Midrand-based trust, explained that the purpose of the IT training was to equip pupils with a real skill that could be used to find employment opportunities.
Emery has been involved in education a long time, having founded a literacy programme in India in 2005. Since then she has been involved in youth development programmes in South Africa. “It’s the old saying of give a man a fish and he’ll have food for one day, but teach him to fish and he’ll have food for a lifetime,” she said.
The web-development competition was a culmination of three months of training in the three townships.
Emery explained that 60 students who showed promise were invited to compete, and 47 entered the competition.
On the day pupils had four hours to create a three-page website. They were judged on its functionality, layout and content, design style and originality.
Volunteers from Tata Consultancy Services and DELL were also on hand to offer advice and give input judging the websites.
In the end the winners were Godfrey Sekgale and Kgotatsoe Kgopa from Diepsloot Combined School who teamed up to create the winning website. They took home a tablet for their efforts.
Diepsloot Combined School fared well, since the second place went to Godden Mahlo who also attends the school.
While Ntokozo Shange from Zitikeni High School in Tembisa won third place.
