Ten learners from an orphanage in the west of Durban are now able to complete their applications online and browse the internet, thanks to the pro-activeness of the Department of Office Management and Technology. Batho Dube, a Lecturer in the department said it all started in 2021 when some learners from Impilo Home applied to be admitted to the department. Impilo Home is an orphanage that looks after pupils with disability and children from disadvantaged families. It is situated in Emansenseni, Dozenhoek, west of Durban.
Dube said the learners’ age ranged from 19 to 22.
Dube said they spotted a gap and an opportunity to provide support.
“Around November 2021, the facility manager from Impilo Home came to MUT to make a follow-up on those applications. When we further had a conversation with the facility manager, she alluded that she had to personally fill in the Central Applications Office (CAO) applications for her pupils. Some of them were computer illiterate and did not know what to do. Now the learners are empowered, which is what was the objective of the project. The objectives of the project were to enable learners to navigate a computer desktop, use Microsoft Word, be able to use the keyboard to generate and process information, and save and print a document,” said Dube.
The learners showed appreciation for the department’s efforts at making their lives a little easier. Sinelile Ndaba said she can now type, browse the internet, make tables, set up margins, and manipulate a document on the computer. Most importantly, she can now complete her application and check her emails.
Malibongwe Nene said the project was an opportunity “to die for”. He said he did not have any computer knowledge before. Like Sinelile, Malibongwe can now type, browse the internet, cut and paste text, and do tables.
Dube said the project received a “thumbs up” from the management of Impilo Home, the ward councilor, izinduna, and the community at large.