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The
supply of refurbished
PCs to African schools
is an ongoing process
rather than a single event.
It requires a system of
interrelated activities
and organizations to be
in place in order to be
successful. The basic
pipeline of activities
required to source and
use second-hand and refurbished
computers in African schools
includes:
- Donation of second-hand
PCs,
- Procurement of second-hand
PCs,
- Refurbishment of second-hand
PCs,
- Distribution and installation
of refurbished PCs,
- Maintenance and use
of refurbished PCs,
and
- Disposal at end-of-life
of refurbished PCs.
While all these activities
are currently being performed
by various organizations
in and outside Africa,
general consensus is that
there is a lot of scope
for improvement in the
current pipeline of activities,
including:
- Encouraging donors
and NGOs in the developed
world to commit more
resources (financial
and technical) beyond
simply supplying PCs
to African schools and
towards ensuring that
their donated PCs are
installed in good working
order for an affordable
price.
- Developing refurbishing
skills in Africa instead
of relying on international
NGOs to refurbish PCs
before they ship them.
Not only will this provide
employment and income
generating opportunities
for African youth, it
will also reduce Africa’s
dependency on foreign
skills and support.
- Developing an official
pipeline for how to
dispose of end-of-life
PCs in an environmentally
appropriate manner.
Current environmental
policies in Africa are
hopelessly inadequate
to deal with large numbers
of end-of-life PCs appropriately,
so this is a priority.
Many African schoolnet
practitioners acknowledge
that their efforts to
source and install refurbished
PCs in African schools
to date have been hampered
by the lack of a coordinated
support system for accessing
funding, sourcing and
installing PCs, and developing
ICT capabilities (both
technical and educational)
in schools. Most of the
projects undertaken by
schoolnets to date have
been ad hoc in nature
and the general consensus
seems to be that the process
of sourcing and installing
refurbished computers
in African schools would
be made significantly
easier, more scaleable,
and more sustainable if
it happened as part of
a national initiative
like Computers for Schools
Canada.
An integrated strategy
and effective management
system is required in
order to ensure that future
projects to source and
use second-hand and refurbished
PCs in African schools
are more consistent, scaleable
and effective. Strong
partnerships are a vital
enabler to the implementation
of these strategies and
an industry-coordinating
body to develop and expand
partnerships would be
extremely beneficial in
Africa. SchoolNet Africa
(SNA), with its network
of local schoolnet organizations
throughout Africa, is
well positioned to take
on this industry-coordinating
role by taking the lead
in:
- Facilitating partnerships
and cooperation amongst
all players in this
field (including international
development agencies,
private sector partners,
and local schoolnets
throughout Africa) to
ensure greater effectiveness
of all players and projects.
- Identifying and encouraging
sustainable sources
for funding of refurbishment
initiatives in Africa.
- Developing and updating
criteria and standard
processes for second-hand
and refurbished PCs
to ensure improved quality
and cost of the items
received, and to ensure
more efficient processes.
- Adapting and improving
the pipeline for sourcing
and using second-hand
and refurbished computers
to improve efficiency
and reduce costs.
- Advising and supporting
all the organizations
involved in the second-hand
and refurbished PCs
pipeline as part of
streamlining and improving
this pipeline.
This is not to say that
SNA should be solely responsible
for undertaking these
tasks. The preference
would be for SNA to establish
a network of partners
who work together to accomplish
these tasks under the
coordination of SNA. It
is nonetheless important
that this coordinating
role is recognised by
all the players in this
field and that SNA is
supported and enabled
to perform this function
effectively. This will
in turn support and enable
the whole schools-related
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