The joint DST/CSIR undertaking aims to introduce computer literacy into the ambit and experience of all South Africans through the implementation of the concept of Minimally Invasive Education. The aim is to provide people in rural and disadvantaged areas with freely accessible computer equipment and open source software, enabling them to experiment and learn without formal training and with minimal external input. 

The initiative seeks to verify results in the South African context, of research conducted in India*, indicating that children possess the cognitive ability to acquire functional computer skills without formal training. The project entails providing access to a multi-terminal multimedia computer system, which provides access to various applications and information. Similar findings in South Africa could serve to inform policies and methodologies to introduce alternative mechanisms for computer literacy. It could also suggest another pathway towards building human capacity in support of the advancement of the Information Society in South Africa and its adjacent regions.

*see http://www.niitholeinthewall.com/

Users encounter the Digital Doorway for the first time - Kimberley Science Expo