In 2006, six
Educational Resource Centres (ERC) were established on
Bougainville in some of the most remote parts of the island.
Simple computer equipment with the necessary back up of
deep discharge batteries, chargers and inverters were
installed in buildings owned by schools, district offices
and parishes. Sets of equipment were installed in pairs
so that one set could be used to troubleshoot other sets
when breakdowns occur.
Br Adrian Story,
who had previous experience in rehabilitating ‘rotated’
government and school computers in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes,
trained the operations officers of each ERC in maintenance
and computer technologies.
The outcome
of the project was that places which, in the past, had
no access to simple administrative tools were now able
to function in the world of government, education and
Non Government Organisations. Alongside this project was
the establishment of a twenty machine computer laboratory
at our school in Mabiri.
In 2007 it
is proposed that we replicate this project in the East
Sepik. There we will establish four or five ERCs in the
most remote areas and undertake the same training program.
