Unique product for learners and educators being developed at The Innovation Hub
Newly part of the pre-incubation programme at The Innovation Hub, iClass Multimedia Solutions was born out of a needs analysis of the Gauteng Online (GOL) project, according to Chief Executive Officer Fulton Ramaphakela. GOL, the largest, most ambitious ICT programme ever undertaken in Africa, plans to provide every school in the province with at least 25-networked computers over the next five years.
Left to right: Fulton Ramaphakela and Jimmy Tefo with Steven Letswela [seated]. |
The iClass Hybrid System is an integrated television technology with full PC capabilities for the education and corporate markets. This unique product is an all-in-one education, edutainment, and content delivery unit for learners and educators. "Television is a wonderful educational tool," says Ramaphakela, "but it does not provide feedback for interaction between learners and educators. The multimedia hybrid that iClass is currently developing will overcome this problem by converging existing TV, PC, DVD, radio, VCR and HDTV capabilities into one unit that can be used for content delivery in schools."
The idea with the iClass unit is to support teachers in fields like maths and science. The teachers will have more time to mentor learners and equip them with the skills they need in these subjects," says Ramaphakela. Since July 2002, a prototype of this high-class multimedia hybrid solution has been developed and patented, with further development still under way.
"I believe that we have strengthened the iClass s R&D component by joining The Innovation Hub," says Ramaphakela. The 37 permanent staff members are housed in offices in Braamfontein, with the R&D staff now in Pretoria. According to him, he was "hooked into" the Hub by its vision to help develop Gauteng into a 'smart' province - strong on technology.
Ramaphakela is an electronics engineer who worked his way up from being a trainee technician to starting his first own company, Moloko Information Systems, in 1997.
In October last year, Ramaphakela and the hybrid solutions concept formed part of a Ntsika/European Union sponsored mission from South Africa to showcase local products at the International Fair of Innovation and Future Technologies (SITEF) in France. He also attended the International Small Business Congress as a member of the Ntsika Development Programme during this visit.
Ramaphakela, a passionate entrepreneur who first learnt his skills from his father, is currently introducing the hybrid product to the National Presidential Advisory Council as a solution to the problems of the e-schools concept in the rest of Africa as part of the NEPAD eAfrica strategy. He is also looking into exporting the product to India in the near future, while iClass has submitted a tender (with seven Value Add Resellers & Solutions Partners) to the Gauteng Education Department for providing 2 500 schools in the province with their product.
Contact
Fulton Ramaphakela, iClass Multimedia Solutions
Tel: [011] 403 0391
Cell: 083 309 6914
E-mail: fulton@moloko.co.za
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