scoping study report 1.1 (draft) 031213 · report"prepared"by:" graham muller associates!! 33 askew...

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ENERGY OFFICE !

19th!Floor,!75!Dr!Langalibalele!Dube!Street,!Durban,!4001!

P!O!Box!1014,!Durban!4000!

Tel:!+27!31!311!1139,!Fax;!+27!31!311!1089!

Email:[email protected]!

www.durban.gov.za!

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Implementation+Plan+for+a+Pilot+“Hole+In+The+Wall”:+Scoping+Study+Report+3"December"2013"

Version"1.1"

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Report"Prepared"by:"

Graham Muller Associates!!

33 Askew Grove Glenwood!

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Phone: (031) 206-1249!

Fax: 086 573 5311!

Email: [email protected]!

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PO Box 4022!

Durban!

4000!

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Date: 3 December 2013!

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Table&of&Contents&&

1! Introduction!................................................................................................................!1!

1.1! Project!Methodology!and!Approach!..................................................................................!2!

1.2! Structure!of!the!Report!......................................................................................................!3!

2! Literature!Review!........................................................................................................!4!

2.1! Introduction!......................................................................................................................!4!

2.2! Pedagogical!Foundation!for!the!Hole!In!The!Wall!...............................................................!5!

2.2.1! Minimally!Invasive!Education!............................................................................................!5!

2.2.2! Theoretical!framework!......................................................................................................!7!

2.2.3! The!Role!of!the!Mediator!...................................................................................................!8!

2.2.4! Limits!..................................................................................................................................!9!

2.2.5! Relevance!and!potential!benefits!to!South!African!Context!..............................................!9!

2.2.6! Conclusion!........................................................................................................................!10!

2.3! General!Trends!in!Developing!the!Knowledge!Economy!..................................................!11!

2.3.1! Conclusion!........................................................................................................................!12!

2.4! Policy!and!Local!Context!for!the!Hole!In!The!Wall!............................................................!12!

2.4.1! The!National!Development!Plan!......................................................................................!12!

2.4.2! The!KwaZulu[Natal!Provincial!Growth!and!Development!Plan!........................................!12!

2.4.3! eThekwini!Municipality!....................................................................................................!13!

2.4.4! Public!Access!Computing!.................................................................................................!13!

2.4.5! Low!Carbon!Growth!and!The!Hole!In!The!Wall!................................................................!20!

2.4.6! Conclusion!........................................................................................................................!24!

2.5! Technical!Review!of!the!Hole!In!The!Wall!Concept!...........................................................!24!

2.5.1! Conclusion!........................................................................................................................!40!

3! Conclusion!.................................................................................................................!41!

3.1! Concluding!Remarks!........................................................................................................!41!

3.2! Aims,!Objectives!and!Scope!of!the!Pilot!...........................................................................!42!

3.2.1! Scope!...............................................................................................................................!42!

3.2.2! Aim!...................................................................................................................................!42!

3.2.3! Objectives!........................................................................................................................!42!

3.3! Proposed!Measures!for!Monitoring!and!Evaluation!.........................................................!43!

Bibliography!....................................................................................................................!44!

Appendix&A! Decision!Matrix!Example!.........................................................................!47!

Appendix&B! Stakeholder!List!and!Consultation!Schedule!.............................................!48!

Appendix&C! Draft!Critical!Factor!Tables!.......................................................................!49!!

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List&of&Figures&

FIGURE!2[1!DISTRIBUTION!OF!PAC!VENUES!USING!AGGREGATED!DATA!FROM!25!COUNTRIES!..................................................!15!

FIGURE!2[2!AGE!DISTRIBUTION!AT!PAC!VENUES!.............................................................................................................!16!

FIGURE!2[3!AFFORDABILITY!FRONTIER!..........................................................................................................................!18!

FIGURE!2[4!MIE!LEARNING!STATION![!BRIDGING!THE!DIGITAL!DIVIDE!................................................................................!19!

FIGURE!2[5!WHAT!IS!A!SUSTAINABLE!COMMUNITY?!.......................................................................................................!22!

FIGURE!2[6!ETHEKWINI!NEIGHBOURHOODS!MAP!...........................................................................................................!22!

FIGURE!2[7HOLE[IN[THE[WALL!LEARNING!STATION!........................................................................................................!26!

FIGURE!2[8!SINGLE!SEATER!DESKTOP!SYSTEM!................................................................................................................!29!

FIGURE!2[9!SINGLE!TERMINAL!SYSTEM!OF!THE!DIGITAL!DOORWAY!SOLUTION!......................................................................!29!

FIGURE!2[10!3[TERMINAL!SYSTEM!OF!THE!DIGITAL!DOORWAY!SOLUTION!...........................................................................!30!

FIGURE!2[11!4[TERMINAL!SYSTEM!OF!THE!DIGITAL!DOORWAY!SOLUTION!...........................................................................!30!

FIGURE!2[12!ACCESSIBLE!TERMINAL!SYSTEM!OF!THE!DIGITAL!DOORWAY!SOLUTION!..............................................................!31!

FIGURE!2[13!PROPORTION!OF!HOUSEHOLDS!IN!SOUTH!AFRICA!WITH!ACCESS!TO!THE!INTERNET!...............................................!33!

FIGURE!2[14!FORECAST!OF!TABLET!SALES!VS!PC!SALES!YEAR[ON[YEAR!...............................................................................!36!

FIGURE!2[15!ECOTECH!COMPUTERS!OUTDOOR!SOLAR!KIOSK!...........................................................................................!38!

FIGURE!2[16!GOOGLE!CHROMEBOX!.............................................................................................................................!39!

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List&of&Tables&

TABLE!2[1!KEY!TECHNOLOGICAL!FINDINGS!FROM!THE!KALKAJI!AND!SHIVPURI!EXPERIMENTS!....................................................!27!

TABLE!3[1!PEDAGOGICAL!CRITICAL!FACTORS!..................................................................................................................!49!

TABLE!3[2!LOCATIONAL!CRITICAL!FACTORS!....................................................................................................................!49!

TABLE!3[3!TECHNOLOGICAL!CRITICAL!FACTORS!...............................................................................................................!50!

TABLE!3[4!INSTITUTIONAL!CRITICAL!FACTORS!.................................................................................................................!51!

TABLE!3[5!FINANCIAL!CRITICAL!FACTORS!.......................................................................................................................!51!

TABLE!3[6!LOW!CARBON!GROWTH!CRITICAL!FACTORS!.....................................................................................................!52!

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List&of&Abbreviations&and&Definitions&

HITWPI!! ! ! Hole!In!The!Wall!Pilot!Implementation!

SOLE! ! ! Self!Organised!Learning!Environment!

MIE! ! ! Minimally!Invasive!Education!

Functional!Literacy! Number!of!people!over!20!with!at!least!Grade!7!education!

GINI!Coefficient! Global!scale!of!inequality,!with!0!(indicating!total!equality)!and!1!(indicating!total!

inequality)!

IDP! ! ! Integrated!Development!Plan!

USAASA!! ! Universal!Service!and!Access!Agency!of!South!Africa!

USF! ! ! Universal!Service!Fund!

PIT! ! ! Public!Information!Terminal!

ICT! ! ! Information!Communication!Technology!

PPP! ! ! Public!Private!Partnership!

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Implementation!Plan!for!a!Pilot!“Hole!In!The!Wall”:!Scoping!Study!Report! 1!

1 Introduction&&The!Hole!In!The!Wall!Implementation!Plan!is!an!initiative!of!the!eThekwini!Municipality!Energy!Office,!

to! research! the! concept,! and! assess! the! viability,! of! the! Hole! In! The! Wall! within! the! eThekwini!

Municipal! context,! and! deliver! an! implementation! plan! for! a! pilot!Hole! In! The!Wall! based! on! the!

findings!of!the!research!project.!

From%the%Tender%Document:!

Recent!research!by!the!Academy!of!Science!of!South!Africa!has!outlined!key!strategic!interventions!

for!a!transition!to!a!low!carbon!Durban.!The!first!of!these!is!ensuring!a!shift!to!a!green!economy.!The!

report!states:!

“eThekwini!Municipality!must! promote! the! transition! to! a! green! economy!by! ensuring! that! every!

action,!investment,!regulation!or!decision!contributes!towards!nurturing!and!building!a!strong!green!

economy!that! is! low!carbon,! resource!efficient!and!socially! inclusive.!The!green!economy!provides!

an! overarching! framework! in! which! all! activities! can! be! steered! in! a! co[ordinated! way! in! a! low!

carbon!and!sustainable!direction.”!

The!report!also!highlights!the!need!to:!

• Promote!Low!Carbon!Consumption!patterns!in!the!city!!• Maximise!Local!Opportunities!in!the!Low!Carbon!Transition!Process!!• Give!Urgent!Attention!to!the!Transport!sector!in!the!Transition!to!a!Low!Carbon!!

In! Durban! !and! internationally! there! is! a! strong! drive! to! promote! the! “knowledge! economy”! as! a!

component! of! the! green! economy! that! results! in! a! shift! from! carbon! intensive!manufacturing! to!

service!industries!and!on[line!based!economic!opportunities.!In!the!knowledge!economy!goods!and!

services!can!be!developed,!bought,!sold!and!in!many!cases!even!delivered!over!electronic!networks.!

By!promoting!a!knowledge!economy,!consumption!patterns!can!shift!towards!less!carbon!intensive!

options! (e[books! vs.! paper! books)! and! can! result! in! a! reduction! of! transport! requirements! (by!

facilitating,!for!example,!home!based!banking,!shopping!and!access!to!services).!!

The!eThekwini!Municipality!Integrated!Development!Plan!(5!Year!Plan:!2012/13!to!2016/17)!(IDP4)!

articulates!a!strong!support!for!the!knowledge!economy,!in!the!Strategic!Priority!Area!3,!“Creating!a!

Quality!Living!Environment”.!The!goal!of!this!priority!area!is:!“To!establish!eThekwini!Municipality!as!

a! learning!city!which!uses!knowledge!management!techniques!and!processes!to!enhance!the!skills!

base!of! the!citizenry!as!well!as!share!good!practice!with!other!municipalities.”! In!order! to!achieve!

this!transition!to!a!low!carbon!knowledge!economy,!a!critical!intervention!is!needed!in!terms!of!skills!

development!and!empowerment.!This!transition!is!also!articulated!in!the!IDP4!under!the!5th!Priority!

Area,!which!is!to!create!a!platform!for!growth,!empowerment!and!skills!development.!

The! goal! of! the! 5th! priority! area! is:! “To! empower! our! citizens! and! employees! by! utilising!

partnerships! to! build! 21st! century! skills,! to! provide! easily! accessible! information! and! to! ensure! a!

Municipality! committed! to! an! innovative! approach! to! governance! and! service! delivery! so! that! all!

citizens!are!able!to!engage!actively!in!the!economic,!social!and!political!activities!of!the!Municipality.”!

Desired!outcomes!of!the!priority!area!are:!

• A!learning!city!that!uses!knowledge!management!techniques!and!processes!to!enhance!the!skills!of!local!government!actors.!!

• Skilled!citizens,!within!the!eThekwini!Municipality,!who!are!readily!able!to!participate!in!social!and!economic!activities.!!

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• A!skilled!work!force!that!delivers!effective!and!quality!services!within!an!active!learning!environment.!!!

As!is!clear!from!these!summaries,!there!is!a!clear!policy!mandate!within!the!eThekwini!Municipality!

to!investigate!and!promote!programmes!that!support!a!transition!to!the!knowledge!economy!as!an!

option!for!low!carbon!development.!The!purpose!of!this!study!is!to!test!the!feasibility!of!an!existing!

methodology!for!promoting!the!knowledge!economy,!called!the!“Hole!in!the!Wall”.!!

What!is!the!basic!concept?!

The!‘Hole[in[the[Wall’!is!a!powerful!computer!with!a!high[speed!Internet!connection!that!is!installed!

like! an! ATM[machine! in! a! publically! accessible,! safe! and! child[friendly! place,! such! as! a! children’s!

playground!or!public!library.!Children!have!free!access!to!the!computer!and!are!encouraged!to!use!it!

without! supervision.! The! aim! is! for! groups! of! children! to! work! together! to! learn! to! how! to! use!

computers!and!navigate!the!Internet.!Research!indicates!that!groups!of!children!who!have!not!had!

prior! access! to! computers! and! who! regularly! use! ‘Hole[in[the[Wall’! computers! without! any!

assistance! rapidly! develop! basic! computer! and! Internet! literacy.! Children! who! are! not! literate! in!

English!also!acquire!sufficient!basic!English! literacy!to!use!email,!chat!and!use!search!engines.!The!

children’s! independent! learning! can! be! enhanced! by! encouragement! from! on[line! ‘mediators’! –!

friendly,!familiar!adults!who!repeatedly!show!interest! in!the!Hole[! in[the[Wall!activities.!Mediators!

do!not!have!to!be!trained!to!teach!and!may!even!be!illiterate.!

1.1 Project&Methodology&and&Approach&During! phase! 1! the! project! team!will! familiarise! themselves!with! the! project! context! through! the!

literature!review!and!scoping!study.!Broad!parameters!will!be!agreed!upon!and!options!developed!

through!further!research!and!working!with!stakeholders!and!the!Energy!Office.!

The!project!methodology!includes:!

• Desktop!research!for!review!of!the!project!concept,!literature!review!and!policy!framework!• One[on[one!key!informant!interviews!with!key!stakeholders!• Assessment!and!modelling!of!the!institutional,!infrastructural!and!financial!aspects!of!the!

pilot!

• Direction!from!project!steering!committee!meetings,!and!meetings!with!the!project!team!

The!project!phases!include:!

Phase!1:!Scoping!Study!

The!first!phase!of! the!project!will! see! initial! research!to!scope!out!the!boundaries!of! the!potential!

intervention.! It! will! include! a! Literature! Review,! Interviews! with! key! stakeholders! to! assess! the!

viability!of!the!concept!in!the!eThekwini!Municipality!(expected!to!continue!throughout!the!project)!

and!drafting! the!aims,!objectives!and!scope! for! the!pilot.!The!purpose!of! the!pilot! is! to!assess! the!

viability!of!a!large[scale!rollout!of!the!“Hole!in!the!Wall”!concept.!A!core!aim!of!the!pilot!therefore!

needs!to!be!monitoring!of!the!effectiveness!of!the!“Hole!in!the!Wall”!concept.!

Phase!2:!Infrastructure!Assessment!

The!second!phase!of!the!project!will!see!the!assessment!of!the!technical!and!site!requirements!for!

the!pilot.!It!will!include!the!assessment!of!the!technical!requirements!for!the!pilot,!as!well!as!a!site!

Assessment!to!locate!a!suitable!site!for!implementation.!

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Phase!3:!Institutional!Assessment!

The!third!phase!of!the!project!will!see!the!assessment!of!the!operational!system!needed!to!manage!

and!implement!a!pilot!for!the!“Hole!in!the!Wall”.!This!phase!will!consist!of!assessing!institutional!and!

human! resources! required! for! the!pilot,!developing!a! terms!of! reference!or! schedule!of!duties! for!

each!role,!and!developing!a!baseline,!monitoring!and!measuring!plan!for!the!pilot.!!

Phase!4:!Financial!Assessment!

The! fourth! phase! of! the! project!will! see! the! financial! assessment! of! the! pilot! of! the! “Hole! in! the!

Wall”.!The!financial!assessment!includes!estimated!capital!costs!for!the!pilot,!estimated!operational!

costs!(cash!and!in[kind)!for!the!pilot,!and!an!indication!of!potential!avenues!for!support!funding!for!

the!pilot!and!mass!roll[out.!!

Phase!5:!Pilot!Implementation!Plan!

The! final! phase! will! see! the! consolidation! of! the! previous! phases! into! a! comprehensive!

implementation!plan.!The!plan!will!include!the!following!sections:!

1. Executive!Summary!!2. Aim!and!Objectives!of!Pilot!!3. Infrastructure!Plan,!including!technical!specifications!!4. Institutional!Plan,!including!clearly!defined!roles!and!responsibilities!!5. Monitoring!and!verification!plan!for!the!pilot.!!6. Financial!costs!for!the!pilot.!!7. List!of!implantation!activities,!with!assigned!roles,!costs!and!timeframes.!!

The!deliverables!for!the!project!will!be!as!follows:!

1. Monthly!progress!reports!!2. Scoping!study!report!!3. Technical!scope!and!site!assessment!report!!4. Pilot!implementation!plan!!

1.2 Structure&of&the&Report&Chapter!1:!Introduction![!explains!the!background!to!the!project,!and!project!process!and!phasing!!

Chapter! 2:! Literature! Review! [! Application! and! critiques! of! the! “Hole! in! the! Wall”! concept! and!

municipal!policies!regarding!the!knowledge!economy!and!low!carbon!growth!

Chapter! 3:! Drafting! of! Aims,! Objectives! and! Scoping! [! Application! of! the! conclusions! of! the!

literature!review!to!establish!the!aims!and!objectives!of!the!project.!

Appendix!A:!Draft!Decision!Matrix! [!Drafting!of!one!of!the!main!tools!of!assessment,!the!decision!

matrix!!

Appendix!B:!Consultation!Schedule!and!Summaries![!Schedule!of!Consultations!

Appendix!C:!Critical!Factor!Tables!

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2 Literature&Review&

2.1 Introduction&Hole[in[the[Wall!is!a!public!access!computing!(PAC)!concept!first!tested!in!India.!The!concept!is!now!

being!explored!and!implemented!in!many!countries!around!the!world.!Hole[in[the[Wall!Education!

Limited!(HiWEL)!is!a!subsidiary!of!NIIT!Limited.!Formally!called!Minimally!Invasive!Education,!the!

idea!was!first!tested!in!a!slum!area!in!Kalkaji,!New!Delhi.!A!robust!computer!was!embedded!in!a!wall!

between!the!NIIT!offices!in!Kalkaji,!the!neighbouring!slum!area.!The!computer!was!publically!

available!for!use,!without!guidance!or!instruction.!Computer!users!were!monitored!from!a!video!

camera!in!a!nearby!tree.!It!was!found!that!children!were!able!to!learn!mouse!operations,!surf!the!

net,!and!download!games,!music,!and!videos!through!incidental!peer[supported!learning.!The!

experiment!has!been!repeated!around!India.!The!computer!stations!are!known!as!Self[organised!

Learning!Environments!(SOLEs).!Many!of!the!rural!areas!where!the!computers!were!installed!were!

poor!and!in!remote!rural!areas.!In!most!cases!computer!technologies!were!unfamiliar!to!local!

residents.!The!SOLEs!were!particularly!appealing!to!children,!and!are!seen!as!‘an!extension!of!their!

playground’.!The!success!of!this!and!other!early!experiments!led!to!HiWEL!being!formed!in!2001!as!a!

joint!venture!between!NIIT!and!the!International!Finance!Corporation!(HiWEL!2013).!

Similar!unassisted!learning!projects!have!been!undertaken!in!South!Africa.!The!council!for!Scientific!

and!Industrial!Research!(CSIR),!Department!of!Rural!Development!and!Land!Reform!(DRDLR),!and!

Department!of!Science!and!Technology!(DST)!have!a!joint!initiative!in!South!Africa!to!deploy!

computer!systems!to!underprivileged!communities!in!South!Africa.!The!primary!objective!is!to!

promote!computer!literacy!and!help!to!bridge!the!digital!divide!between!the!information!technology!

‘haves’!and!the!‘have[nots’.!One!of!the!primary!assumptions!of!the!project!is!that!people!(especially!

children)!have!the!inherent!cognitive!ability!to!learn!computer!skills!without!formal!training!and!

minimal!external!input.!Known!as!the!Digital!Doorway!(DD),!the!first!installation!was!in!2002!in!Cwili,!

a!rural!village!in!the!Eastern!Cape.!Hundreds!of!DDs!have!since!been!installed!in!South!Africa!and!

other!countries,!including!Lesotho,!Ethiopia!(Cambridge!2008).!!

Two!key!elements!of!the!DD!project!are!usability!and!accessibility.!DDs!have!been!deployed!in!

publically!accessible!locations.!They!are!placed!in!robust!metal!kiosks!with!metal!alphanumeric!

keyboards,!plexi[glass!covered!screens,!and!a!reinforced!touchpad!to!minimise!damage!and!

vandalism.!The!keyboards!have!no!special!function!keys.!DD!users!cannot!save!or!upload!data.!DDs!

are!designed!for!use!by!both!children!and!adults,!although!the!majority!of!users!have!tended!to!be!

Children!and!young!adults.!The!terminals!are!also!designed!for!single!or!groups!of!users,!allowing!for!

individual!and!peer[assisted!learning.!The!computers!deployed!run!pre[loaded!software!on!an!open!

source!operating!system.!Loaded!software!included!educational!games,!audio!books,!Wikipedia[like!

documents,!interactive!science!simulations,!Open!Office!suites,!a!South!African!curriculum[based!

educational!program,!and!Mindset!applications1.!Digital!Doorways!have!mostly!been!deployed!in!

remote!rural!villages,!allowing!for!24[hour!free!access.!One!of!the!fundamental!differences!between!

the!HiWEL!and!DD!projects!is!that!DD!does!not!offer!Internet!access2.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!For!more!information!on!Mindset!applications!go!to!http://www.mindset.co.za!

2!For!more!information!of!the!DD!go!to!http://www.digitaldoorway.org.za!

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Aside!from!initiatives!like!HiWEL!and!DD,!other!PAC!providers!in!South!Africa!and!globally!include!

libraries,!telecentres,!and!cybercafés.!This!literature!review!looks!at!trends,!applications,!and!

critiques!of!PAC!globally,!with!specific!emphasis!on!the!HiWEL!concept.!The!eThekwini!Municipal!

policies!regarding!PAC!are!also!explored.!!

2.2 Pedagogical&Foundation&for&the&Hole&In&The&Wall&Although!traditionally!associated!mainly!with!computer!literacy!Hole!in!the!Wall!has!started!moving!

more!towards!the!what!and!how!of!learning!(Aurora,!2010).!A!specific!pedagogy!has!been!formed!as!

developed!out!of!observations!from!the!Hole!in!the!Wall!experiments.!!

2.2.1 Minimally&Invasive&Education&&Minimally!Invasive!Education!(MIE)!is!a!term!partly!taken!from!the!medical!term!‘minimally!invasive!

surgery’!to!describe!a!pedagogy!of!learning!whereby!children!guide!themselves!through!the!learning!

process!with!little!or!no!intervention!from!an!adult!(Mitra!&!Rana,!2001;!Mitra,!2003).!It!is!one!of!the!

first!attempts!at!applying!self[organising!systems!to!children’s!education.!Important!to!this!theory!is!

that!learning!at!the!MIE!learning!stations!happens!in!and!through!groups!that!children!naturally!

form.!It!is!posited!that!the!exchange!of!information!that!takes!place!through!the!collaboration!in!

groups!is!how!learning!takes!places!most!effectively!(Jha!&!Chatterjee,!2005).!Children!learn!more!

effectively!when!engaging!and!interacting!in!the!knowledge!acquisition!process!as!opposed!to!sitting!

and!passively!absorbing!information!from!an!instructor!(Dangwal!&!Kapur,!2009).With!the!right!

environment!children!will!organise!themselves!into!these!groups!and!will!learn!through!the!

collaboration!and!communication!with!each!other.!!

“The!learning!environment!is!characterised!by!its!absence!from!adult!intervention,!openness!and!

flexibility.!Children!are!free!to!operate!the!computer!at!their!convenience,!they!can!consult!and!seek!

help!from!any!other!child!or!other!children,!and!are!not!dictated!to!by!any!structured!settings.!It!is!

observed!that!children!tend!to!rely!upon!themselves!to!generate!the!necessary!learning!

environment,!and!to!organise!themselves!for!learning.!It!is!to!be!noted!that!MIE!learning!stations!are!

located!in!safe,!open!public!spaces!and!are!easily!accessible!to!children”!(Mitra,!Dangwal,!

Chatterjee,!Jha,!Bisht,!&!Kapur,!2005)!

Three!key!aspects!about!MIE!arise!from!this!statement:!low!intervention!from!adults,!little!structure!

as!to!who!can!use!the!learning!station!or!when!they!can!use!it,!and!the!formation!of!groups!by!the!

children!themselves![!i.e.!no!false!creation!of!group!setting!by!adults/teachers.!It!is!very!important!

that!there!is!very!little!restriction/structure!as!to!who!can!join.!The!learning!stations!need!to!be!in!a!

situation!that!is!accessible!to!the!children,!not!somewhere!that!would!need!special!permission!to!be!

granted!access.!The!groups!could!be!across!age!and!gender.!HITW!learning!does!not!dictate!the!

make[up!of!the!group![!various!ages!and!both!genders!can!work!together!in!groups!(Mitra,!2005).!

Heterogeneity!is!important!for!the!sharing!and!creating!of!knowledge.!This!sort!of!situation!does!not!

often!occur!in!school!settings.!The!children!constantly!interact!in!the!groups!that!they!form,!this!

continuous!interaction!is!how!their!learning!takes!places!(Dangwal!&!Kapur,!2009).!!

MIE!provide!learning!environments!where!there!is!enough!motivation!for!the!children!to!arrange!

themselves!into!groups!and!pursue!learning!themselves.!A!key!aspect!here!is!one!of!MIE’s!major!

pedagogical!assumptions:!children!are!curious,!that!they!want!to!learn!and!find!out!about!the!world!

around!them.!!

!


“A!child!is!curious!by!nature;!he!or!she!has!a!natural!instinct!to!make!sense!of!the!world!around!him.!

The!need!to!explore!on!their!own!is!a!strong!motivating!aspect!that!provides!the!necessary!impetus!

to!go!ahead!with!learning.!In!a!classroom!situation!the!child!is!often!a!passive!learner,!but!given!a!

computer!in!a!natural!setting,!the!child!comes!forth!as!an!active!learner.”!(Dangwal,!Jha,Kapur,!

2006)!

Based!on!this!assumption!of!curiosity:!

“any!learning!environment!that!provides!an!adequate!level!of!curiosity!can!cause!learning!among!

groups!of!children.!Children's!desire!to!learn,!along!with!their!curiosity!and!peer!interaction,!drives!

them!to!explore!the!environment!in!order!to!satisfy!their!inquisitiveness.!As!the!children!explore!

their!environment,!they!relate!their!new!experience!with!their!previous!experience!and!thereby!new!

learning!takes!place”!(Mitra!et!al!2005)!

The!fact!that!curiosity!is!such!a!central!component!of!this!learning!method!implies!that!the!material!

utilised!needs!to!remain!of!interest!to!the!children.!This!could!mean!that!material!needs!to!be!

constantly!updated!to!keep!up!with!the!children’s!curiosity.!It!is!recommended!that!Internet!be!in!

place!for!the!computers!to!ensure!that!incidental!learning!can!take!place!which!helps!to!ensure!a!

level!of!discovery!is!always!present!(Dangwal,!Jha,!Chatterjee!Mitra,!2005).!!

“The!Internet!with!its!limitless!capacity!to!entertain,!educate!and!connect!people!together!will!

definitely!form!the!basis!of!new!pedagogies!for!learning.!The!approach!that!our!experiments!seem!

to!suggest!is!that!based!on!free!access!and!minimal!intervention.”!(Mitra,!2000)!

For!this!method!of!learning!it!is!important!that!the!learning!material!created!is!interesting!and!

challenging!encouraging!learners!to!pursue!the!knowledge!“...creating!curricula!that!matches!and!

also!challenges!children's!understanding,!fostering!further!growth!and!development!of!the!mind.”!

(Mitra!2000)!

Children!need!to!learn!how!to!ask!questions!and!find!answers!as!opposed!to!sitting!back!and!

passively!absorbing!answers!from!teachers!as!is!the!case!in!traditional!schooling!environments.!

Learning!happens!for!the!children!through!elements!of!information!gathering!from!the!environment!

(the!computer)!and!from!social!networking!and!working!with!and!learning!from/teaching!their!

peers.!Social!networking!can!be!defined!as!“the!process!of!linking,!that!is,!the!way!a!child!connects!

with!another!to!create,!construct!a!network!or!social!group!that!she!or!he!can!then!comes!to!depend!

upon!in!order!to!obtain!or!acquire!information,!as!and!when!she!or!he!needs!it.”!(Dangwal!&!Kapur,!

2009)!

The!elements!of!play,!experimentation!and!trial!and!error!in!knowledge!acquisition!are!major!

aspects!in!MIE.!(Mitra,!2000)!

Learning!on!computers!at!home!or!at!school!has!not!produced!the!same!results!as!the!MIE!learning!

stations!do,!(Inamdar!&!Kulkarni,!2005)!this!could!be!due!to!the!fact!that!at!home,!computers!would!

be!seen!purely!as!something!used!for!recreation!and!at!school!because!computers!form!part!of!a!

very!rigid!learning!system!surrounded!by!rules!of!who!can!use!the!computers!when!and!with!whom.!

!


Another!assumption!of!MIE!is!that!children!will!automatically!form!themselves!into!natural!groups!

where!leaders!and!learners!are!formed!within!their!groups!(Dangwal!et!al,!2006).!This!could!take!the!

form!of!one!child!having!figured!out!how!to!operate!a!certain!feature!on!the!computer!and!the!other!

children!asking!to!be!shown!how!to!do!the!same.!This!way!the!first!learner!becomes!the!temporary!

teacher!in!that!social!network.!“When!children!collaborate,!they!share!the!process!of!constructing!

their!ideas,!instead!of!simply!labouring!individually”!(Mitra,!2000)!

The!MIE!Model!is!as!follows!(Mitra,!2000):!

1. One!child!explores!randomly!in!the!GUI!(Graphical!User!Interface)!environment,!others!watch!until!an!accidental!discovery!is!made.!For!example,!when!they!find!that!the!cursor!

changes!to!a!hand!shape!at!certain!places!on!the!screen.!!

2. Several!children!repeat!the!discovery!for!themselves!by!requesting!the!first!child!to!let!them!do!so.!!

3. While!in!step!2,!one!of!more!children!make!more!accidental!or!incidental!discoveries.!!4. All!the!children!repeat!all!the!discoveries!made!and,!in!the!process,!make!more!discoveries!

and!start!to!create!a!vocabulary!to!describe!their!experience.!!

5. The!vocabulary!encourages!them!to!perceive!generalisations!(“when!you!right!click!on!a!hand!shaped!cursor,!it!changes!to!the!hourglass!shape!for!a!while!and!a!new!page!comes!

up”).!!

6. They!memorise!entire!procedures!for!doing!something,!for!example,!how!to!open!a!painting!program!and!retrieve!a!saved!picture.!They!teach!each!other!shorter!procedures!for!doing!

the!same!thing,!whenever!one!of!them!finds!a!new,!shorter,!procedure.!!

7. The!group!divides!itself!into!the!“knows”!and!the!“know!nots”,!much!as!they!did!into!“haves”!and!“have!nots”!in!the!past.!However,!they!realise!that!a!child!that!knows!will!part!with!that!

knowledge!in!return!for!friendship!and!exchange!as!opposed!to!ownership!of!physical!things!

where!they!could!use!force!to!get!what!they!did!not!have.!A!stage!is!reached!when!no!

further!discoveries!are!made!and!the!children!occupy!themselves!with!practising!what!they!

have!already!learned.!At!this!point!intervention!is!required!to!introduce!a!new!“seed”!

discovery!(“did!you!know!that!computers!can!play!music?!Here!let!me!play!a!song!for!you”).!

Usually,!a!spiral!of!discoveries!follow!and!another!self!instructional!cycle!begins.!

“A!MIE!learning!station,!itself!provides!an!environment!where!stimulation!is!ever!present!but!no!

direct!guidance!is!available!to!the!child.!Children!learn!to!share!the!knowledge!gained!and!this!

influences!their!attitude!towards!the!new!technology.”!(Jha,!&!Chatterjee,!(2005)!

2.2.2 Theoretical&framework&“Constructivism-theory-in-the-field-of-education-talks-about-cognitive-growth-and-learning”-(Dangwal,!Jha,!Chatterjee!&!Mitra,!2005)!Children!are!active!participants!in!their!knowledge!acquisition,!they!

invent!their!ideas.!MIE!proposes!that!“cognitive!and!social!processes!cannot!be!understood!in!

isolation;!rather,!it!is!the!essential!aspects!of!one!another!that!help!determine!any!learning.”!

[Dangwal!&!Kapur,!2009)!Therefore!this!pedagogy!positions!itself!as!a!Piagetian!constructivism!

(Mitra,!2000).!The!teacher!learner!interaction!with!MIE!is!one!where!the!student!determines!their!

own!learning!outcomes!and!takes!charge!of!their!own!learning!process.!The!children!actively!

construct!their!knowledge,!they!use!pre[existing!knowledge!to!form!associations!with!new!concepts!

thereby!assimilating!new!material!and!allowing!concepts!to!become!more!complex!(Mitra!2000).!!

Children!are!supported!in!the!learning!journey!by!the!teacher!and!the!peers!who!help!to!create!a!

supportive!environment!for!learning!and!assist!in!the!collaborative!creation!of!knowledge.!This!is!

!


similar!to!Bruner’s!scaffolding!theory!whereby!the!learner!is!assisted!in!their!own!learning!process!

until!they!are!at!the!point!where!they!can!continue!on!their!own!until!the!next!new!concept!occurs.!

“...scaffolding!refers!to!the!gradual!withdrawal!of!adult!support!as!a!function!of!children’s!increasing!

mastery!of!a!given!task.”!(Dangwal!&!Kapur,!2009).!The!mastery!referred!to!takes!place!in!the!zone!

of!proximal!development!(ZPD).!This!is!the!distance!between!independent!actual!knowledge!

acquisition!and!the!potential!knowledge!acquisition!in!the!context!of!assistance!from!an!

adult/teacher/someone!further!along!in!the!knowledge!journey.!As!explained!by!Vygotsky!“what!is!

in!the!zone!of!proximal!development!today!will!be!the!actual!developmental!level!tomorrow![!that!

is,!what!a!child!can!do!with!assistance!today!she!will!be!able!to!do!by!herself!tomorrow”!(Vygotsky,!

1978,!pg.!87).!The!children!learn!through!their!relationships!with!each!other.!(Chalking,!2003)!

Specifically!they!learn!through!their!peers!who!are!slightly!further!ahead!of!them!on!the!knowledge!

journey!as!well!as!by!teaching!those!who!are!behind!them.“...with-appropriate-support-they-develop-critical-insight-into-how-they-think-and-what-they-know-about-the-world.”-(Dangwal,!Jha,!Chatterjee!&!Mitra,!2005)!Vygotsky’s!concept!of!the!Zone!of!Proximal!development!as!socially!shared!cognition!

is!very!visible!at!the!MIE!learning!stations.!(Dangwal!&!Kapur,!2009)!

MIE!also!draws!from!Dewey’s!theory!that!learning!is!a!collaborative!reconstruction!of!experience!

and!from!Mead’s!that!social!experience!shapes!the!child’s!interpretive!processes!(Dangwal!&!Kapur,!

2009).!!

2.2.3 The&Role&of&the&Mediator&Due!to!the!particular!teaching!philosophy!of!the!Hole!in!the!Wall!it!is!important!to!look!at!the!role!of!

the!mediator.!!

“In!MIE,!the!role!of!the!teacher!is!limited!to!providing,!or!guiding!learners!to,!environments!that!

generate!adequate!levels!of!interest.!A!known!example!of!MIE!is!the!type!of!learning!that!takes!

place!when!an!appropriate!puzzle!is!given!to!children!with!little!or!no!input!from!others.!”!(Mitra!et!

al,!2005)!!

The!main!focus!of!the!mediator!is!to!support!the!children!as!they!learn!in!a!particular!context.!They!

should!use!the!“Grandparent!model!of!encouragement”!using!phrases!such!as!“I!wish!I!could!do!

that!”!“how!on!earth!did!you!figure!that!out?”(Mitra!&!Dangwal,!2010)!The!role!of!the!mediator!is!to!

position!himself!or!herself!as!someone!that!needs!to!be!taught,!who!has!admiration!for!the!

students,!who!is!encouraging.!Role!of!mediator!was!very!important.!Minimal!intervention!is!crucial.!

The!concept!of!the!mediator!helps!the!children!as!there!is!someone!who!affirms!the!learning!process!

and!to!whom!they!can!teach!without!feeling!pressure.!!

Completely!unsupervised!SOLEs!may!not!be!as!effective!as!those!with!mentors!or!mediators.!Some!

of!the!problems!found!in!unsupervised!SOLEs!were!children!tend!to!excel!in!their!areas!of!interest!

and!do!not!learn!something!about!everything.!Some!individuals!also!tend!to!benefit!more!than!

others.!Having!supervision!can!help!to!prevent!children!from!being!left!out,!and!help!them!to!focus!

on!a!wider!variety!of!content.!Appointing!and!retaining!trained!teachers!can!be!problematic!in!

lower[resourced!and!remote!schools.!However,!in!HiWEL!experiments,!mediators!did!not!have!to!be!

knowledgeable,!but!rather!friendly!and!encouraging.!The!mediators!did!not!have!to!have!experience!

or!training!as!a!teacher,!or!have!expertise!related!to!the!software!content.!Their!task!was!to!join!the!

children!in!their!explorations!and!encourage!them!in!their!efforts!(Mitra!and!Dangwal,!2010).!With!

!


encouragement,!children!can!continue!to!learn!through!random!exploration,!discovery,!vocabulary!

construction,!generalisation,!practice,!collaboration,!and!peer!tutoring.!

2.2.4 Limits&&Aurora!(2010)!notes!that!too!much!freedom!can!have!negative!consequences.!The!students!using!

the!HITW!methods!tended!to!only!glean!a!shallow!level!of!understanding!of!concepts,!the!type!of!

learning!that!helps!to!pass!tests!not!that!necessarily!indicates!deeper!understanding.!Students!also!

tend!to!spend!time!doing!what!they!enjoy,!so!they!get!good!at!some!things!but!don’t!necessarily!

have!overall!learning.!This!style!of!learning!would!benefit!some!children!but!not!all.!(Mitra!&!

Dangwal,!2010).!

!A!lack!of!supervision!can!also!have!other!unintended!consequences.!Mitra!(2005)!argues!that!

democratic!learning!groups!circumvent!social!barriers!such!as!age,!class,!caste,!and!gender.!This!was!

not!always!shown!to!be!the!case.!Arora!(2010)!also!criticises!the!assumption!that!children!will!

organise!themselves!into!leaders,!connectors!and!novices,!to!share!their!learning.!She!argues!that:!

“Spaces!such!as!playgrounds!certainly!cannot!be!disassociated!from!social!practice!so!HiWEL’s!

placing!of!computers!in!playgrounds!may!not!only!breed!collaboration!but!competition!and!

discrimination.”!Arora!(2010).!

Fewer!girls!than!boys!accessed!HiWEL!kiosks,!and!often!the!same!group!of!boys!dominated!the!

space,!using!the!computers!as!‘play!stations’!for!games!(Arora!2010).!A!South!African!DD!study!(Gush!

and!De!Villers!2010)!found!that!when!comparing!data!on!registered!users,!the!ratio!of!male/female!

users!was!77/23.!These!findings!show!that!collaborative!learning!is!not!necessarily!democratic!or!

egalitarian.!!

Many!of!these!limits!can!be!countered!by!the!introduction!of!a!mediator,!as!discussed!above.!!

2.2.5 Relevance&and&potential&benefits&to&South&African&Context&&According!to!Dangwal,!Jha!and!Kapur!(2006)!!

!“The!MIE!approach,!being!cost[effective,!can!be!useful!in!both!the!developing!and!under[developed!

countries!to!address!the!problem!of!illiteracy!and!digital!divide.!It!has!the!potential!to!become!an!

effective!medium!of!providing!economically!disadvantaged!chil[dren!(both!school[going!and!out!of!

school!children)!with!the!opportunities!to!enhance!their!learning!and!other!useful!skills.”!

South!Africa!“remains!one!of!the!world’s!most!inequitable!societies,!with!extensive!disparities!

between!rich!and!poor!people”!(Gomez,!2012).!This!situation!has!led!South!Africa!to!be!in!situation!

where!there!are!major!levels!of!inequality!when!it!comes!to!education.!There!is!currently!not!

enough!infrastructure!or!teachers!to!sufficiently!service!the!education!needs!of!the!country.!Besides!

this,!there!is!not!much!availability!of!technology!in!schools!let!alone!homes!with!only!15.8%!of!

households!having!a!computer!and!7.3%!of!households!with!Internet!access!(Gomez!2012).!!

The!Hole!in!the!Wall!would!be!an!excellent!service!in!helping!to!improve!education!in!the!South!

African!for!various!reasons.!!

“MIE!in!the!last!few!years!has!emerged!as!an!educational!method!that!is!adaptable!to!demands!of!

the!situation!and!provides!an!alternative!educational!approach!in!contemporary!times.!It!is!likely!to!

!


have!far!reaching!results!for!developing!nations,!where!achieving!mass!levels!of!literacy!is!of!great!

concern.”!(Dangwal,!Jha!&!Kapur,!2006)!

According!to!Mitra!there!is!a!connection!between!the!distance!of!a!school!from!urban!centres!and!

school!performance!.!This!could!be!for!a!multitude!of!reasons,!a!central!aspect!being!that!teachers!

might!be!reluctant!to!teach!in!such!remote!areas!“they!are!in!areas!where!teachers!are!reluctant!to!

go.”!(Mitra!2005)!This!problem!can!be!addressed!as!SOLEs!or!HIWELs!can!be!set!up!in!remote!areas!

for!a!much!lower!cost!and!besides!this!does!not!rely!only!on!teachers!to!facilitate!learning!but!on!

mediators!who!could!be!members!of!the!community,!not!necessarily!qualified.!

HITW!learning!stations!are!a!more!affordable!solution!than!setting!up!traditional!methods!of!

computer!education!(Mitra!et!al,!2005).!Impoverished!areas!can!benefit!relatively!quickly!and,!

importantly,!reliably!from!the!self[learning!methods!that!HITW!provides!(Mitra!et!al,!2005)!

As!the!HITW!experiments!were!conducted!in!vastly!different!regions!with!people!of!varying!cultures!

they!were!able!to!prove!that!the!underlying!concepts!work!consistently!with!people!from!different!

backgrounds!and!cultures!in!a!multitude!of!contexts!(Mitra,!2005).!“...economic,!social,!geographical!

or!other!factors!do!not!seem!to!affect!their!ability!to!self[instruct!in!groups.”!(Mitra!2005)!This!bodes!

well!for!its!usability!in!the!South!African!context,!having!the!same!results!across!varying!regions!and!

cultures!(Dangwal,!2005)!

There!are!concerns!over!this!method!of!learning!as!it!utilises!such!different!methods!to!traditional!

teaching.!However!it!is!apparent!that!children!are!adaptable,!especially!in!the!ages!where!HITW!

learning!is!aimed!at!(8[12)!“...young!children!are!open!to!a!variety!of!learning!methods.”!(Dangwal!&!

Kapur,!2009).!In!fact,!since!a!major!assumption!of!MIE!is!based!on!the!curiosity!of!children,!the!

‘different[ness’!of!this!mode!of!learning!should!in!fact!serve!as!a!benefit.!!

In!the!studies!conducted!not!only!did!the!students!perform!better!in!the!experimental!test!after!

having!experienced!HIWEL!learning!stations!but!their!teachers!commented!that!children!were!doing!

better!in!school!as!a!result!of!the!HIWEL![!the!tests!show!an!increase!in!intellectual!maturity,!

computer!literacy!and!school!performance.!(Dangwal,!2005).!!

Due!to!vast!challenges!facing!the!South!African!education!system,!the!constructivist!theory!of!the!

HITW!in!encouraging!learners,!despite!their!difficult!situations,!to!take!charge!of!and!be!in!control!of!

their!learning!would!be!beneficial!(Mitra!&!Dangwal,!2010).!!

2.2.6 Conclusion&The!pedagogy!utilised!by!HIWEL!has!potential!to!be!of!great!use!in!the!South!African!context.!With!

its!learner!centred!approach,!relatively!low!cost!of!implementation!and!decreased!reliance!on!

qualified!teachers!it!could!mean!a!further!reach!to!otherwise!underserved!areas!in!South!Africa!and!

contribute!towards!increasing!the!quality!of!education!for!many!learners!across!the!country.!

! !

!


2.3 General&Trends&in&Developing&the&Knowledge&Economy&The!eThekwini!Municipality!is!aiming!to!expand!the!knowledge!economy!and!create!a!low!carbon!

economy.!A!sustainable!information!society!can!make!use!of!ICTs!in!a!number!of!ways.!When!

viewing!the!job!creation!potential!of!industries,!based!around!the!low!carbon!agenda,!ICT!can!enable!

a!low!carbon!technologies!implementation!sector,!low!carbon!manufacturing!led!growth,!or!low!

carbon!services!led!growth.!In!addition,!the!drive!away!from!fossil!fuels!includes!the!need!for!ICT!

based!technological!solutions!(Levy!2010).!

Developing!a!knowledge!economy!requires!a!move!away!from!a!production!system!where!the!

principal!source!of!value!is!human!labour,!to!an!innovation!mediated!production!system.!In!an!

innovation!mediated!production!system!the!principal!source!of!value!creation!is!knowledge.!The!key!

element!in!the!knowledge!economy!is!information.!The!ICT!revolution!has!enabled!quick!and!easy!

access!to!larger!quantities!of!information!globally,!and!has!also!made!information!harder!to!control.!

Widespread!access!to!digitised!information!through!the!Internet!is!comparable!to!previous!

revolutionary!technologies.!The!Internet!has!been!described!by!some!as!the!electricity!of!the!

information!age.!!

Developing!the!knowledge!economy!requires!that!the!exclusive!development!and!sale!of!intellectual!

products!is!an!increasing!preoccupation!of!paid!work.!Aspirations!for!a!knowledge!economy!should!

include!widespread!and!equal!access!to!education!at!all!levels.!Education!should!aim!to!supplying!

the!working!population!with!the!requisite!skills!to!be!both!a!knowledge!worker!and!a!‘lifelong!

learner’.!If!workers!devote!more!of!their!efforts!to!the!pursuit!of!lifelong!learning!it!can!enable!them!

to!meet!growing!knowledge!demands!in!their!jobs.!Developing!a!‘learning!society,’!or!‘knowledge!

society’!increases!the!capacity!for!innovation!and!the!production!of!more!knowledge[intensive!

products!(Livingstone!and!Guile!2012).!

Technological!change!in!the!20th!century!has!been!increasingly!biased!in!rewarding!skilled!workers!

and!is!increasing!the!skilled/unskilled!wage!differential.!The!productivity!of!educated!workers!has!

been!increased,!meaning!that!skill!upgrading!should!now!have!an!even!larger!effect!on!growth!rates!

than!it!did!previously.!ICT!is!a!requisite!of!technology!adoption.!The!technology!adoption!potential!of!

a!society!is!linked!to!computer!usage,!and!adoption!potential!is!linked!to!the!number!of!Internet!

hosts.!Ferranti!et!al.!(2003)!explain!some!of!the!underlying!factors!enabling!technology!adoption!

through!ICT.!

“ICT!is!also!increasingly!becoming!a!dominant!factor!in!the!acquisition!and!transfer!(through!

distance!learning)!of!skills.!It!can!impact!firm!productivity!in!various!ways.!These!include!increasing!

competitiveness!and!market!discipline!through!better!and!faster!information!on!prices!and!markets,!

reducing!transaction!costs,!and!providing!better!monitoring!of!the!production!process.!ICT!also!

enables!the!creation!of!more!complex!analytical!tools!that!support!decision[making,!provides!firms!

with!valuable!knowledge!about!customer!demand,!serves!as!a!medium!for!technology!transfer!and!

communication!of!best!practices,!improves!and!increases!information!and!communication,!and!

diffuses!existing!knowledge.!Practically!all!countries!that!have!been!successful!in!technological!

transitions!placed!a!strong!effort!in!modernising!and!developing,!through!competition!and!special!

interventions,!their!telecommunications!and!ICT!sectors.”!

! !

!


2.3.1 Conclusion&

Information! is! the! key! element! in! a! functioning! knowledge! economy.! ICT! technologies! have!

revolutionised! the! way! information! is! acquired,! transferred! and! shared.! ICT! has! also! changed!

learning! possibilities.! Knowledge! workers! are! able! to! continuously! increase! their! skills,! becoming!

lifelong! learners.! Skilled! workers! have! benefited! more! from! the! ICT! revolution! than! unskilled!

workers,!widening!the!income!gap!between!the!two!groups.!A!workforce!supplied!with!ICT!and!the!

requisite!skills!can!increase!technology!adoption,! innovation,! learning,!economic!growth!and!lower!

inequality.!

2.4 Policy&and&Local&Context&for&the&Hole&In&The&Wall&

2.4.1 The&National&Development&Plan&The!National!Development!Plan!(NDP)!is!described!by!Trevor!Manual!in!his!Forward!letter!as,!“A!step!

in!the!process!of!charting!a!new!path!for!our!country”.!The!goal!of!this!guiding!policy!is!to!eliminate!

poverty!and!reduce!inequality!by!2030,!and!in!achieving!this!plan!it!is!noted!that!a!new!path!of!

active!capacity!building!be!endeavoured.!

The!central!ethic!of!the!NDP!is!that!passive!citizenry!receiving!must!be!replaced!by!an!active!

undertaking!by!government!and!all!South!Africans!to!develop!the!capabilities!of!its!people!and!the!

country!as!a!whole.!In!this!endeavour,!some!of!the!targets!include:!

• Faster!economic!growth!and!higher!investment!and!employment!• Rising!standards!of!education,!a!healthy!population!and!efficient!social!protection!• Strengthening!the!links!between!economic!and!social!strategies!

Essentially!the!goal!is!to!create!a!“virtuous!cycle!of!growth!and!development”,!through!the!

development!of!capacity!and!capabilities.!With!regard!to!the!goal!listed!under!“Specific!economic!

policy!proposals!(pg.!103):!By!2030,!South!Africa!should!have!a!more!diversified!economy,!with!a!

higher!global!share!of!dynamic!products”!and!again!with!reference!to!the!need!for!“higher!

investment”.!The!goals!of!the!NDP!align!with!the!goals!of!public!computing!and!Internet!access,!

especially!raising!the!standards!of!education!and!developing!the!capabilities!of!its!people.!Trevor!

Manual!notes!in!his!forward!letter,!“At!the!core!of!this!plan!is!a!focus!on!capabilities;!the!capabilities!

of!people!and!of!our!country!and!of!creating!opportunities!for!both”!(South!African!Government!

Information!2012).!

2.4.2 The&KwaZuluTNatal&Provincial&Growth&and&Development&Plan&The!Provincial!Growth!and!Development!Plan!(PGDP)!serves!to!drive!and!direct!long!term!growth!

and!development!within!the!Province.!It!is!the!overarching!strategic!framework!for!the!province!of!

KwaZulu[Natal.!Many!of!the!goals!and!objectives!of!the!PGDP!align!with!the!Hole!in!The!Wall!

Implementation!Plan,!including3:!

• Developing!the!knowledge!base!to!enhance!the!knowledge!economy!• Improving!early!childhood!development,!primary!and!secondary!education!• Supporting!skills!alignment!to!economic!growth!• Enhancing!Youth!Skills!Development!and!Life[Long!Learning!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3+Source:+KwaZuluANatal+Provincial+Planning+Commission+2013+

!


2.4.3 eThekwini&Municipality&The!distribution!of!education!attainment!for!people!living!in!eThekwini!remains!uneven.!One!of!the!

most!notable!areas!of!inequality!is!between!urban!and!peri[urban!areas.!On!average,!people!in!peri[

urban!areas!receive!significantly!less!education.!A!large!digital!divide!exists!for!many!people!in!

eThekwini.!PAC!and!Internet!connectivity!go!hand[in[hand!with!the!strategic!focus!of!the!eThekwini!

Municipality’s!Integrated!Development!Plan!(IDP).!However,!they!are!closely!aligned!to!plan!5!of!the!

IDP!strategy.!Plan!5!is!titled!“creating!a!platform!for!growth,!empowerment,!and!skills!

development”.!The!goal!of!Plan!5!is:!

“To!establish!eThekwini!as!a!learning!city!which!uses!knowledge!management!techniques!and!

processes!to!enhance!the!skills!base!of!the!citizenry!as!well!as!share!good!practice!with!other!

municipalities.”!

(eThekwini!Municipality!2013)!

Within!plan!5,!two!programmes!are!relevant!to!PAC,!programmes!5.6!and!5.9.!Programme!5.6!is!

titled!‘Encouraging!and!supporting!cooperatives,!small!enterprises,!worker!initiated,!NGO!and!

community!training!initiatives’.!The!programme!is!designed!to!promote!co[operative!organisations!

to!empower!and!create!opportunities!for!the!under!and!unemployed.!Programme!5.9!is!titled!

‘Develop!the!city!as!a!Smart!City’.!The!Smart!City!concept!promotes!design!that!is!digitally!inclusive!

and!is!intended!to!bridge!the!digital!divide!in!eThekwini.!The!city!aims!to!become!a!hub!of!

information!diffusion!by!fostering!institutional!links!between!formal!schooling!and!other!learning!

institutions.!Other!learning!institutions!include!libraries,!science!centres,!history!museums,!after[

school!clubs,!online!learning!from!home,!and!collaborations!between!students!and!working!

professionals!(eThekwini!Municipality!2013).!!

The!IDP!for!the!eThekwini!Municipality!also!emphasises!sustainability!issues.!It!states,!“It!is!clear!that!

the!Municipality!has!indeed!a!direct!role!to!play!in!the!facilitation!and!management!of!long[term!

planning!and!development!processes!that!consider!the!issue!of!sustainability.”!The!plan!is!part!of!a!

framework!of!strategies!that!guide!development!within!in!the!municipality,!a!framework!in!which,!

along!with!sustainability,!economic!development,!access!to!services,!and!energy!development!and!

provision!are!highlighted.!There!are!many!immediately!apparent!synergies!between!the!

development!of!the!HITWIP,!and!the!IDP,!as!can!be!seen!in!the!strategic!focus!areas!laid!out!to!

refine!the!eight!point!plan!contained!within!the!IDP.!These!include!developing!the!city!as!a!learning!

city,!climate!protection!planning,!meeting!infrastructure!and!household!service!needs!and!backlogs,!

and!supporting!the!Durban!Energy!Office.!!

The!strategic!focus!area!for!the!Durban!Energy!Office!within!Plan!8!(Financially!Accountable!and!

Sustainable!City)!includes!conceptualising!and!initiating!energy!efficiency!programmes.!This!

highlights!the!commitment!the!municipality!has!to!reducing!its!energy!consumption,!to!reduce!

operating!costs!for!the!municipality!and!make!energy!resources!available!for!future!economic!

development.!This!aligns!with!the!commitment!to!transition!to!a!low!carbon!economy!within!

National!Development!Plan!(eThekwini!Municipality!2013).!!

2.4.4 Public&Access&Computing&PAC!in!South!Africa!is!currently!made!up!of!public!libraries,!telecentres,!cybercafés,!public!Internet!

terminals!and!some!offline!computer!access!initiatives!such!as!the!DD.!One!of!the!primary!purposes!

!


of!PAC!venues!is!to!decrease!the!digital!divide!for!marginalised!and!underserved!populations.!PAC!is!

guided!by!South!Africa’s!Electronic!Communications!Act!(Act!36!of!2005)!that!seeks!to:!

“promote!the!universal!provision!of!electronic!communications!networks!and!electronic!

communications!services!and!connectivity!for!all”.!

This!is!also!one!of!the!core!goals!of!the!state!owned!entity!USAASA!(Universal!Service!and!Access!

Agency!of!South!Africa).!Other!core!goals!of!USAASA!are!to!foster!the!adoption!and!use!of!new!

methods!of!achieving!universal!service!and!access,!and!to!manage!the!Universal!Service!and!Access!

Fund.!All!licensed!telecommunications!operators!pay!a!levy!of!1%!of!turnover!towards!the!fund.!One!

of!the!goals!of!the!fund!is!to!finance!the!construction!or!extension!of!electronic!communications!

networks!in!under[serviced!areas.!USAASA!past!programmes!have!established!a!number!of!non[

profit!community!telecentres,!offering!access!to!the!Internet.!Since!1999!the!USAASA!has!set!up!171!

one[stop,!integrated!community!development!centres,!known!as!Thusong!Service!Centres4.!The!

Thusong!telecentres!(formerly!known!as!Multi[Purpose!Community!Centres)!aim!to!provide!a!variety!

of!services,!including!ICT!services.!The!difficulties!arising!from!central!procurement!processes!and!

maintaining!ICT!equipment!in!rural!and!township!areas!has!led!to!unsustainable!and!sometimes!non[

functional!Thusong!centres.!In!the!most!successful!telecentres!facilitators!have!adequate!technical!

and!administrative!skills!and!managers!developed!a!successful!plan!for!recruiting!volunteers!from!

the!local!community.!More!recently!the!focus!has!shifted!towards!community!ownership!and!trying!

to!create!sustainable,!sound!business!models!(Gomez!et!al.!2012).!

The!Department!of!Communications!(DOC)!is!responsible!for!communications!policy,!the!

communications!regulatory!body!(ICASA),!USAASA,!and!the!South!African!Postal!Office!(SAPO).!Self[

assisted!ICT!access!points!that!allow!for!Internet!access!have!been!installed!by!SAPO!and!USAASA.!

SAPO!installed!over!825!public!Internet!terminals!(PITs)!at!post!offices!throughout!South!Africa,!and!

USAASA!has!installed!15!pilot!kiosks!(James!et!al.!2012).!The!Library!and!Information!Society!of!

South!Africa!also!strives!to!provide!PAC,!especially!to!marginalised!groups.!The!system!of!providing!

PAC!at!libraries!has!worked!particularly!well!in!the!Western!Cape,!where!200!(less!than!half!of)!

libraries!offer!45!minutes!of!free!Internet!access!per!day.!Unfortunately!the!majority!of!South!

Africa’s!libraries!(over!1500)!have!no!Internet!access!and!are!under!resourced.!The!most!successful!

form!of!PAC!to!date!in!developing!countries!has!been!cybercafés,!outnumbering!telecentres!and!

libraries!combined.!The!success!of!cybercafés!can!provide!insight!into!strengthening!other!PAC!

initiatives.!The!increase!in!mobile!technology!adds!a!further!dimension!to!Internet!connectivity.!

Mobile!technology!is!seen!more!as!a!compliment!than!a!substitute!for!PAC!(Gomez!et!al.!2012).!

Using!data!collected!from!public!libraries,!cybercafés,!and!telecentres!in!25!different!countries,!

Gomez!and!Camacho!(2011)!were!able!to!measure!how!well!these!three!types!of!PAC!venues!were!

serving!the!poorest!and!most!marginalised!sectors!of!society.!The!25!countries!were!Algeria,!

Argentina,!Bangladesh,!Brazil,!Colombia,!Costa!Rica,!Dominican!Republic!Ecuador,!Egypt,!Georgia,!

Honduras,!Indonesia,!Kazakhstan,!Kyrgyzstan,!Malaysia,!Moldova,!Mongolia,!Namibia,!Nepal,!Peru,!

the!Philip[pines,!South!Africa,!Sri!Lanka,!Turkey,!and!Uganda.!Between!December!2008!and!August!

2009!over!500!PAC!venues!were!visited!and!data!was!collected!through!surveys!and!interviews.!The!

following!definitions!were!given!for!each!of!the!venues:!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!4!For!more!information!go!to!http://www.thusong.gov.za!

!


• Public!library![!A!library!which!is!accessible!by!the!public!and!is!generally!funded!from!public!sources.!

• Cybercafé![!An!Internet!café!or!cybercafé!is!a!place!that!is!open!to!the!public,!set!up!as!a!for[profit!business!where!people!can!use!a!computer!with!Internet!access,!usually!for!a!fee.!It!

may!also!offer!food!and!drinks,!as!well!as!other!services.!

• Telecentre![!A!place!that!is!open!to!the!public,!set!up!as!a!non[profit!service!intended!for!community!development,!where!people!can!use!computers!with!or!without!Internet!access,!

as!well!as!ser[vices!such!as!training!courses!and!other!development!activities!(usually!related!

to!health,!education,!agriculture,!etc.).!Sometimes!there!are!fees!for!service,!sometimes!

they!are!free.!

Findings!show!that!cybercafés!constitute!the!largest!source!of!public!access!to!ICT.!It!was!estimated!

that!almost!73%!of!all!venues!were!cybercafés,!shown!in!Figure!2[1.!There!is!also!a!much!higher!

concentration!of!PACs!in!urban!areas.!Telecentres!were!the!most!common!form!of!PAC!in!rural!

areas.!

Figure&2T1&Distribution&of&PAC&venues&using&aggregated&data&from&25&countries&

!

Source:-Gomez-and-Camacho-2011-

The!majority!of!PAC!users!fit!within!the!youth!category!of!15[35!year!olds,!see!figure!2.!The!typical!

profile!of!users!fits!into!young,!low[to[middle!income!high!school!or!college!graduates.!Most!users!

are!benefiting!from!formal!education.!Gomez!and!Camacho!(2011)!note!that!PAC!venues!are!not!

primarily!serving!the!poorest!and!most!marginalised!communities,!but!the!results!do!show!that!PAC!

usage!decreases!as!income!brackets!increase.!Findings!also!show!that!lower[income!users!continue!

to!make!use!of!facilities!when!they!charge!user!fees.!This!could!be!a!lesson!to!free[access!libraries!

and!telecentres,!where!low!charges!could!improve!their!financial!sustainability.!

! !

!


Figure&2T2&Age&distribution&at&PAC&venues&

!

Source:!Gomez!and!Camacho!2011!

High!fixed!line!phone!and!DSL!broadband!costs!have!hampered!cybercafé!start[ups!in!South!Africa.!

Phone!shops,!offering!phone!call!services,!prefer!to!use!mobile!operators!due!to!lower!costs.!Mobile!

operators!are!required!to!provide!subsidised!voice!call!rates!to!public!phone!shops!as!part!of!their!

license!agreement.!The!mobile[operator[supported!phone!shops!generally!do!not!offer!Internet!

access!but!there!are!examples!of!some!that!provide!Internet!access!via!2.5G!or!3G!networks!(James!

et!al.!2012).!

2.4.4.1 Current+Issues+In+South+African+ICT+Access+Policy++Included!amongst!the!ten!categories!of!resources!that!historically!form!bases!of!inequality!in!a!

society!are!information,!specifically!that!which!facilitates!profitable,!safe!or!coordinated!action,!

media,!and!science[technical!knowledge.5!Information,!science!and!media!are!three!of!the!four!

current!bases!of!inequality.!Since!1994!South!Africa!has!battled!to!shake!the!inequality!endemic!in!

society!as!a!result!of!apartheid,!and!is!still!one!of!the!most!unequal!societies!in!the!world.!Whilst!

household!access!to!the!Internet!and!computers!remains!very!low,!there!is!a!an!obvious!relationship!

between!information,!computing!and!telecommunication!and!social!empowerment.!Whilst!South!

Africa!has!acted!in!gateway!capacity!to!enabling!ICT!throughout!the!African!Continent,!the!

dominating!neoliberal!ideology!has!resulted!in!ICT!having!a!marginalised!role!in!transformation!

within!the!country.!Whilst!ICT!infrastructure!provision!plays!an!important!role!in!development,!it!can!

only!be!effective!when!guided!by!the!correct!policy!interventions.!

There!are!various!facets!of!the!Telecommunications!Acts!of!1996!that!seek!to!address!ICT!access!

within!the!country:!

• License!Conditions!and!Rollout!Targets!as!Access!Strategy:!this!strategy!seeks!to!bundle!public!access!targets!within!licenses!handed!out!to!telecommunications!providers,!including!

the!provision!of!services!to!uneconomic!customers!in!uneconomic!areas,!as!well!as!

uneconomic!services!(e.g.!pay!phones).!This!has!had!its!challenges,!as!was!the!case!with!the!

national!operator!(Telkom),!who!initially!rolled!out!new!lines,!but!then!undertook!a!massive!

disconnection!of!lines!due!to!non[payment!of!fees,!which!resulted!in!a!net!decrease!in!active!

lines.!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!5!Oyedemi,!2009!

!


• Underserviced!Area!Licenses:!this!strategy!seeks!to!create!licenses!specifically!targeted!at!areas!with!a!teledensity!of!less!than!five!percent,!which!small!and!medium!size!enterprises!

could!apply!for.!

• Universal!Service!and!Universal!Access!Policy:!universal!service!means!availability!of!a!connection!to!ICTs!in!every!home!and!household!in!the!country,!as!well!as!every!individual’s!

ability!to!connect!to!ICT!via!a!wireless!device.!Universal!Access!means!everyone!has!access!

to!publicly!available!ICT!services.!Universal!Access!has!been!the!focus!within!South!Africa,!

and!includes!the!USAASA’s!efforts!in!telecentres!and!PITs!discussed!previously.!Also!within!

this!strategy!is!the!Universal!Service!Fund,!which!funds!the!establishment!of!telecentres!and!

provides!ICT!infrastructure!for!school!computer!labs.6!!

Whilst!these!policies!may!have!encountered!challenges!in!the!national!provision!of!ICT!services,!

working!in!tandem!with!other!social!development!policies!will!assist!with!mitigating!these!challenges!

and!allow!ICT!to!have!a!real!impact!on!inequality!and!poverty!reduction.!A!long[term!approach!is!

suggested,!where!focus!on!skills!development!for!appropriate!ICT!enables!capacity!development!in!

the!knowledge!economy,!especially!within!school!programmes!and!education!policy!nationally.!

2.4.4.2 The+Broadband+For+All+Initiative+A!recent!initiative!by!the!CSIR!Meraka!Institute,!Broadband!For!All!(BB4All),!is!an!attempt!to!find!a!

sustainable!and!scalable!PAC!solution!for!rural!connectivity.!Roux!and!Marais!(2011)!explain!that!

recent!econometric!studies!have!linked!productivity!and!economic!growth!to!broadband!

penetration,!with!an!increase!in!broadband!penetration!of!10%!potentially!resulting!in!an!increase!in!

GDP!of!1!to!2%.!The!BB4All!project!utilises!asset[based!community!development!methodology!

(ABCD),!which!asserts!that!a!capacities[focused!approach!has!the!effect!of!empowering!the!

community,!which!in!turn!enables!meaningful!change!within!the!members!of!that!community.!It!is!a!

focus!on!the!inherent!strengths!within!a!community!as!opposed!to!focusing!on!deficiencies!and!

problems,!allowing!the!community!to!become!self[reliant!through!mobilising!all!their!local!assets,!

and!then!being!empowered!to!deal!with!their!own!needs.7!

Central!to!the!BB4All!initiative!is!the!role!of!the!Village!Operator!(VO):!!

“The!Village!Operator!models!aim!to!leverage!the!social!capital!that!exists!in!and!between!local!

school!leavers,!local!schools!and!other!government!facilities!and!the!local!community”8!

The!Village!Operators!work!within!the!communities!to!provide!and!manage!the!BB4All!network.!

They!are!essentially!young!members!of!the!community!(school!leavers!and!above)!who!have!an!

interest!in!ICT!and!entrepreneurship.!This!model!allows!for!trust!to!be!built!between!the!“local!

players”,!and!means!that!the!minimal!level!of!external!(outside!the!community)!dependencies!need!

to!be!created!when!implementing!the!initiative.!Full!training!in!business!and!basic!technical!skills,!as!

well!as!on!wireless!mesh!network!(WMN)!technology!is!provided,!as!well!as!mentoring,!to!ensure!

the!growth!and!sustainability!of!these!fledgling!businesses.!The!focus!is!to!ensure!the!VOs!develop!

the!skill!of!self[learning,!which!is!key!to!sustainability.!

The!concept!of!local!ownership!was!one!of!the!key!lessons!the!CSIR!Meraka!Institute!drew!from!the!

Digital!Doorway!Project,!which!required!communities!to!apply!for!installation!instead!of!a!sponsor!or!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!6!Oyedemi,!2009!

7!Roux!and!Marais,!2011!


!


donor[led!model.!This!had!the!additional!benefit!of!removing!a!lot!of!equipment!security!concerns.!

One!of!the!important!opportunities!this!initiative!has!provided!is!the!development!of!a!sustainable!

business!model!through!multidisciplinary!research!(integrating!social!and!business!aspects!into!

technological!research),!something!that!could!be!utilised!by!the!HITWIP.!

The!concept!of!the!affordability!frontier!is!developed!in!the!paper9!(shown!the!figure!below).!This!is!

the!limit!that!can!be!reached!commercially!by!certain!groups!or!area,!independent!of!the!efficiency!

of!the!market.!Since!the!aim!of!BB4All!is!to!address!universal!access!in!a!market!with!limitations,!the!

aim!therefore!is!to!ensure!the!area!or!group!becomes!market!driven!through!intervention.!

Figure&2T3&Affordability&Frontier&

!

Source:!Roux!and!Marais,!2011!

Finally!a!compelling!statistic!contained!within!the!report10!is!that!of!the!country’s!26!500!primary!

and!secondary!schools,!at!17!000!are!rural!and!none!of!these!rural!schools!have!any!form!of!Internet!

connectivity.!Schools!were!chosen!as!the!starting!point!for!the!BB4All!study!as!a!result!of!this,!but!

this!statistic!also!speaks!to!the!potential!HITWIP!intervention!and!its!potential!for!development,!

connectivity!and!education.!

This!project!gives!the!HITWIP!a!number!of!guidelines!even!in!this!initial!phase:!

• The!Village!Operator!concept!and!the!importance!of!community!buy[in!are!paramount!in!ensuring!such!a!project’s!success!

• Scalability!and!sustainability!are!critical!concepts!within!this!kind!of!technological!intervention!

• PAC!concepts!in!this!project!have!initially!shown!to!be!successful,!although!the!results!in!the!report!were!in!their!preliminary!stage!

! !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!9!Roux!and!Marais,!2011!


!


2.4.4.3 Public+Private+Partnership+and+MIE+The!MIE!experiment!in!Madangir!in!2000,!where!six!MIE!stations!with!five!computers!each!where!

installed!in!the!socio[economically!depressed!area!south!of!Delhi,!has!some!important!lessons!for!

the!potential!for!public[private!partnerships!within!the!implementation!of!a!HITW[type!project.11!!

“A!public[private!partnership!has!the!potential!of!optimising!existing!resources,!as!the!public!sector!

plays!the!role!of!enabler!and!facilitator,!and!the!private!sector!contributes!its!expertise,!technology!

and!management!practices.”12!

Along!these!lines!the!Delhi!Government!signed!an!MOU!with!NIIT!Ltd,!to!take!India’s!IT!revolution!to!

its!economically!disadvantaged!children!with!free!access!to!computers!using!the!MIE!pedagogy.!The!

figure!below!illustrates!the!forward!and!backward!linkages!that!have!resulted!through!the!PPP.!

Forward!linkages!enable!computer!literacy!and!backward!linkages!help!gap!the!socio[economic!

divide.!The!partnership!of!government!and!private!sector!enabled!substantial!resources!and!

opportunities!to!be!put!into!the!hands!of!the!user.!This!provides!alternative!avenues!to!

disadvantaged!schools!and!education!within!economically!depressed!areas,!and!the!potential!to!

initiate!the!diffusion!of!technology!in!these!areas.13!

Figure&2T4&MIE&Learning&Station&T&Bridging&the&Digital&Divide&

!

Source:!Jha!&!Chatterjee,!2005!

The!project!also!initiated!an!evaluation!framework14,!which!consisted!of!the!following:!

• An!Icon!Association!Inventory!(which!measures!acquisition!of!computing!skills)!• English,!Math,!and!Content!Assimilation!tests!(to!assess!academic!achievement)!• A!sociometric!technique!which!measures!collaborative!learning,!social!networking!and!

information!flow!

• Direct!qualitative!observation!through!diaries!written!by!the!participating!children,!taking!into!consideration!the!ability!of!the!children!to!express!themselves!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11!Jha!&!Chatterjee,!2005!

12!Jha!&!Chatterjee,!2005!



!


2.4.5 Low&Carbon&Growth&and&The&Hole&In&The&Wall&

2.4.5.1 Towards+A+Low+Carbon+City+A!low!carbon!city!is!one!“that!strives!to!reduce!its!greenhouse!gas!emissions!and!increase!its!carbon!

sinks,!while!simultaneously!adapting!to!anticipated!climate!change!impact.”15!It!is!a!key!concept!for!

the!city!of!Durban!in!achieving!sustainable!development.!In!the!seminal!report,!“Towards!a!Low!

Carbon!City:!Focus!on!Durban”,!it!is!explained!that!the!process!of!transition!to!a!low!carbon!city!

revolves!around!low!carbon!development.!It!seeks!to!differentiate!the!process!of!transition!in!a!

developing!country!context!from!a!view!of!climate!change!that!necessitates!constraint!and!

limitation,!to!one!that!extols!investment!in!new[technologies!and!low!carbon!industries!to!ensure!

economic!development!continues,!albeit!in!a!sustainable!framework.!Within!the!context!of!

eThekwini!Municipality,!clearly!the!latter!provides!opportunity!for!achieving!both!economic!

development!and!low!carbon!goals.!

Durban!is!a!city!characterised!by!urban!sprawl!and!the!movement!of!people!from!peri[urban!areas!

into!informal!settlements!that!lie!on!the!boundary!of!the!urban!edge,!in!search!of!employment!and!

looking!to!benefit!from!the!services!provided!by!the!city.!The!city’s!income!inequality!is!high!with!the!

GINI!coefficient!at!0.639.!The!result!is!a!large!percentage!of!the!city!being!unemployed,!living!in!

poverty,!and!of!a!young!age.!As!a!result!this!means!a!large!proportion!of!the!population!is!

vulnerable,!but!also!that!the!potential!impact!of!a!program!that!both!delivers!education!and!

knowledge!of!sustainable!living!is!fairly!substantial.!The!understanding!of!low!carbon!development!

concepts,!and!thus!the!ability!to!make!informed!choices!about!resource!use,!is!highlighted!by!the!

report!as!one!of!the!most!important!factors!in!the!transformation!to!a!low!carbon!city,!with!an!

educated!public!therefore!being!vital.!When!it!is!considered!that!only!28%!of!children!in!KwaZulu[

Natal!live!with!both!parents,!and!over!40%!of!children!in!the!province!live!in!a!household!without!an!

employed!adult,!and!furthermore!that!functional!literacy!is!83.7%,!the!need!for!education!

intervention!is!underlined.16!

A!population!that!is!unemployed!and!living!in!poverty!will!battle!to!adapt!to!incorporating!low!

carbon!principles!for!a!variety!of!reasons!apart!from!education,!and!the!report!suggests!low!carbon!

growth!provides!an!opportunity!to!address!inequality!present!in!the!city.!The!rate!of!growth!of!

informal!settlements!has!resulted!in!a!housing!backlog!which,!given!the!current!budget,!will!only!be!

cleared!in!2040.!Whilst!low[carbon!principles!need!to!be!incorporated!across!the!board!from!low[

cost!housing!to!upper[income!housing,!and!energy!consumption!differs!greatly!between!the!two,!

housing!interventions!are!a!key!area!for!transformation!to!a!low!carbon!future.!Location!is!described!

as!a!key!factor!in!provision!of!low[cost!housing!and!especially!the!decision!to!upgrade!the!

settlement!(the!preferred!practice!of!the!municipality),!as!large!travel!distances!from!inappropriately!

located!low[cost!housing!have!large!cost!implications!for!both!residents!and!the!environment.17!!

One!of!the!opportunities!for!transitioning!to!a!green!economy!laid!out!in!the!report18!is!to!‘promote!

sustainable!human!settlements’.!In!light!of!the!above!analysis!into!the!current!socio[economic!state!

of!the!municipality,!it!highlights!a!number!of!programs!and!projects!to!be!integrated!into!the!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!15!Scott,!Sutherland,!Robbins!et!al,!2011!

16!Scott,!Sutherland,!Robbins!et!al,!2011!



!


“umbrella!of!integrated!planning!programmes”!to!ensure!low!carbon!principles!are!central!to!the!

development!of!sustainable!human!settlements.!It!further!links!to!the!broader!concept!of!addressing!

not!just!immediate!housing!needs!but!also!the!enclosing!neighbourhoods!and!communities!in!their!

own!right.!In!other!words!engaging!in!a!multifaceted!approach!with!input!various!public!and!private!

institutions!to!have!an!ward[level!impact.!

2.4.5.2 Sustainable+Neighbourhoods+The!HITWIP!could!align!therefore!with!the!concept!of!sustainable!neighbourhoods!or!wards.!The!

report19!explains!the!diverse!nature!of!the!neighbourhoods!within!the!city!as!a!result!of!apartheid!

ideology!and!a!modernist[planning!paradigm,!but!that!this!diversity!creates!unique!possibilities!for!

defining!interventions!that!can!be!tailored!to!match!the!characteristics!of!the!individual!

neighbourhood.!These!robust!and!sustainable!neighbourhoods!then!contribute!towards!a!resilient!

city.!The!have!been!successful!ward!based!interventions!already!within!eThekwini!(the!example!of!

water!services!is!given!in!the!report).!The!figure!below!(included!in!the!report,!taken!from!the!Bristol!

Accord20)!the!figure!speaks!to!the!characteristics!required!for!a!sustainable!community.!Despite!the!

challenges!in!creating!sustainable!neighbourhoods,!the!report!recommends!this!approach!and!

provides!mapping!of!the!various!neighbourhood’s!carbon!footprint!for!use!in!design!of!

neighbourhood!specific!interventions.!Furthermore!the!a!key!lesson!from!the!Community!

Adaptation!Plans!carried!out!by!the!municipality!in!Amaoti,!Ntumzuma!and!Ntshongweni!was!that!

social!cohesion!is!critical!in!order!for!communities!to!be!able!respond!to!the!impacts!of!climate!

change!in!a!coherent!and!integrated!manner.21!!

The!HITWIP!would!appear!to!be!a!concept!that!aligns!with!a!couple!of!the!sections!in!Figure!2[5,!and!

could!both!be!enhanced!from!such!a!neighbourhood!and!in!turn!enhance!and!develop!that!

neighbourhood!along!the!same!lines.!It!is!clear!that!ensuring!the!implementation!of!the!HITWIP!

happens!along!these!lines,!including!ensuring!the!solution!is!scalable!and!robust,!and!able!to!be!

tailored!to!differing!communities,!being!guided!by!sustainable!development!and!sustainable!

community!principles,!and!addressing!directly!core!areas!of!inequality!such!as!education,!will!ensure!

the!pilot!has!maximum!impact!within!the!municipality.!Therefore!these!need!to!be!included!within!

the!list!of!factors!critical!to!project!success.!

! !


20!http://www.eib.org/attachments/jessica_bristol_accord_sustainable_communities.pdf!

21!http://www.cop17[cmp7durban.com/downloads/Durban[A[Climate[For[Change.pdf!

!


!

Figure&2T5&What&Is&A&Sustainable&Community?&

!

Source:!http://www.eib.org/attachments/jessica_bristol_accord_sustainable_communities.pdf!

Figure! 2[6! below! shows! the! eThekwini! neighbourhoods! map! from! the! report.! It! shows! the!

demographic! layout! of! the! city.! This!will! be! used! in! this! project! to! understand!where! the!HITWIP!

might!be!implemented.!

Figure&2T6&eThekwini&Neighbourhoods&Map&

!

Source:!Scott,!Sutherland,!Robbins!et!al,!2011!

!


2.4.5.3 Low+Carbon+Citizenship+Another!key!concept!to!be!drawn!out!of!the!report

22!is!that!of!a!Low!Carbon!Citizenship.!This!is!the!

commitment!contribute!to!reduced!carbon!emissions!by!a!shift!in!attitude!and!behaviour!towards!

activities!such!as!energy!consumption.!This!needs!to!be!carried!out!within!the!realm!of!broader!

sustainable!development,!but!is!vital!to!ensure!that!the!shift!in!mind[set!towards!sustainable!

development!penetrates!deeper!than!policy!and!technology!interventions,!to!where!it!is!changing!

social!norms!and!has!affected!collective!societal!ideology.!In!this!way!development!and!climate!goals!

can!be!reconciled.!The!report!suggests!five!strategies!to!persuade!citizens!to!change!to!a!low!carbon!

lifestyle,!including:!

• Regulation!• Economic!Incentives!• Awareness[Raising!• Developing!Values!and!Ethics!of!Care!• The!Use!of!Rhetoric!

In!terms!of!developing!educational!programs!aimed!at!children,!it!is!possible!that!a!new!generation!

of!‘Low!Carbon!Citizens’!can!be!created!through!awareness[raising!(since!children!would!more!

readily!fit!into!the!implicit!assumption!of!having!little!knowledge!of!the!environment),!through!

developing!values!and!ethics!of!care!(since!childhood!is!when!values,!morality!and!ethics!are!learnt!

and!lifestyles!are!not!yet!entrenched),!and!through!the!use!of!rhetoric!(such!as!a!smart[living!

program!being!part!of!the!learning!content).!The!report23!lists!current!barriers!to!low!carbon!

citizenship,!a!few!of!which!could!be!mitigated!by!further!directed!educational!intervention,!namely:!

• AwarenessXraising!is!aimed!at!the!individual,!and!not!at!a!collective!community.!Imagine!Durban!is!named!as!an!exception,!as!it!has!successfully!created!a!programme!for!the!

greening!of!schools,!demonstrating!how!schools!can!be!centres!of!sustainability!(Imagine!

Durban!is!listed!as!a!key!stakeholder!for!the!HITWIP).!Another!example!of!collective!

awareness!is!the!Durban!Botanical!Gardens!which!provides!a!key!focal!point!at!which!

communities!can!be!exposed!to!transformative!ideas!and!have!the!opportunity!to!interact!

with!‘climate[smart’!living.!

• Managerial,!technicist!approach!to!carbonXreduction.!Intervention!through!education,!specifically!aimed!at!children,!should!result!in!‘Ethics!of!Care’!and!other!such!values!infiltrate!

the!collective!thinking!of!the!community.!

• The!dominance!of!scientific!knowledge!in!climate!change!information.!The!impact!of!education!within!all!communities!should!start!to!close!the!gap!between!indigenous!

knowledge!and!value!systems!and!scientific!knowledge.!It!could!form!part!of!the!new!form!

of!public!knowledge!which!is!more!legitimate!and!less!alienating.!!

2.4.5.4 Links+with+the+Knowledge+Economy+Focus!on!developing!the!knowledge!economy!allows!for!low[carbon!economic!growth!through!

shifting!economic!development!further!away!from!carbon!intensive!economic!activities!such!as!

manufacturing!and!primary!activities.!The!profile!of!eThekwini,!whilst!diverse,!with!development!

challenges!and!still!affected!by!apartheid!ideology,!is!suited!to!the!development!of!sustainable!

neighbourhoods!and!so!there!is!potential!for!positive!intervention!in!sustainable!development!

through!education!interventions!such!as!the!HITW.!Furthermore,!low!carbon!ideology!could!be!



!


developed!into!content!for!HITWIP,!and!this!could!lead!to!education!about!these!techniques!sifting!

through!to!households!in!general.!Using!low[carbon!techniques!in!the!development!of!the!HITW!

facilities!and!implementation!of!these!will!also!aid!low[carbon!awareness!and!could!tie!in!with!

existing!schools!and!neighbourhood/ward!initiatives.!!

2.4.6 Conclusion&Therefore!National,!provincial,!and!municipal!government!goals!align!with!the!goals!of!the!Hole[in[

the[Wall!Implementation!Plan,!including!raising!the!standards!of!education!for!the!youth,!

developing!the!capabilities!of!its!people,!and!establishing!eThekwini!as!a!learning!city.!Current!PAC!

initiatives!are!also!intended!to!decrease!the!digital!divide!for!marginalised!and!underserved!

populations.!PAC!in!South!Africa!is!run!by!a!number!of!different!institutions,!and!is!currently!made!

up!of!public!libraries,!telecentres,!cybercafés,!public!Internet!terminals!and!some!offline!computer!

access!initiatives!such!as!the!DD.!The!sustainability!of!PAC!initiatives!is!often!problematic,!projects!

have!had!mixed!levels!of!success,!both!in!South!Africa!and!abroad.!These!projects,!including!Digital!

Doorway,!and!BB4All,!provide!guidance!into!the!challenges!a!project!such!as!the!HITWIP!faces,!and!

pitfalls!to!look!out!for!in!it’s!implementation.!The!combination!of!ICT!strategies!with!other!socio[

economic!development!efforts!is!more!likely!to!result!in!a!sustainable!intervention!within!

communities.!The!Madangir!project!run!in!India!in!2000!provides!a!case!for!PPP!within!a!project!such!

as!this,!and!also!an!evaluation!framework!for!assessing!the!results!of!a!MIE!project,!which!can!be!

built!upon!for!the!HITWIP.!The!concept!of!low!carbon!growth!is!one!which!fits!naturally!within!the!

philosophy!of!a!knowledge!economy[based,!MIE,!project!such!as!this,!and!this!alignment!of!these!

will!help!

scoping study report 1.1 (draft) 031213 · report"prepared"by:" graham muller associates!! 33 askew...

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