22 December 2023
Gatora Primary School has electricity and smart classroom now!
The Youth Foundation of Saxony made it possible to electrify Gatora Primary School and equip it with 48 laptops, a projector and a print/copy device.
Gatora Primary School, a primary school serving classes 1 – 6 with over 1,000 pupils has now electricity. All rooms were fitted with lights and sockets so that standard electrical appliances can be supplied with alternating current. Even the courtyard has lights for better security at night.
The energy source is 100% solar consisting of 4.2 kWp solar panels and a lithium-ion battery with nominal capacity of 10.74 kWh. The performance of the system can be monitored via an online portal. The electricity supply is very reliable.
The new smart classroom has 46 modern Windows laptops, a projector mounted under the ceiling and a huge screen for projections. Two more laptops were given for administration together with a device that can print, copy and scan.
In cooperation with Rwanda Basic Education Board, an external 4g antenna was installed together with a Wifi system. It is planned that the school will be connected to the fast internet (glass fibre or equivalent) in the course of 2024.
IT training for the teachers began immediately after completion by our IT trainer. Since then, IT training takes place at least three times per month. Teachers were so eager to train their students in IT, that student classes followed only some days after the start of the teacher training.
We plan to start English training for teachers in two groups, one for beginners and one for advanced, held in the smart classroom supported by modern IT technology. In spring 2024, four alphabetization classes for illiterate adults will be started.
The intervention at Gatora Primary School are 100% funded by the "genialsozial" program of the Youth Foundation of Saxony, a region in Germany. Students from many schools in Saxony decided which projects to support. Then they collected funds to make projects happen. See also their website (Website is in German language).