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A reply to a parliamentary question to the Minister of Communications shows that none of the R500 million earmarked in 2007 by National Treasury for the Dinaledi Schools broadband and network project has yet been spent, although this was promised in 2007.

Sentech and the Department of Communications plan to decide the fate of the Dinaledi Schools broadband network project within the next few months.

It was overly ambitious of the government to announce the National Wholesale Broadband Network (NWBN) before the funding model was secured. Thousands of young maths and science learners, eager to be part of a nationwide learning network, have had their hopes dashed. They have learned at an early age that the ANC government is big on grandiose plans that create expectations and then disappoints on delivery.

I hope that the decision, now promised by the end of the year, will serve as a successful pilot of the Dinaledi schools network.

Implementation of the network is crucial if the government and private sector believe maths and science education is essential to the growth of South Africa's economy. The ingenuity of the communications industry must be harnessed to urgently address this issue.

The initial idea was to use Wimax technology to network 500 Dinaledi schools in rural and underserviced areas. The NWBN needed R3,8 billion over five years. Sentech was allocated R500 million. This was subject to the approval of a plan by both DoC and National Treasury that included additional funding to be raised from the market.

At R500 million the network for 500 Dinaledi schools is not financially sustainable.
Various plans to raise additional funds for the NWBN were devised and submitted by Sentech to the DoC and National Treasury but none was accepted.

Sentech submitted a VSAT alternative technology to Wimax as part of Phase 1 to kickstart the project, with a view to connecting it to the NWBN at a later stage. DoC rejected this in favour of Wimax.

In the third quarter of 2008 the Minister of Communications asked Sentech to explore further options for the R500 million network. They came up with two:

Use the money towards capital expenditure and recover operating expenditure from the schools. With this model 150 schools could be connected to the network; and
Use the money for both capital and operating expenditure to connect 120 schools throughout the country.

In June 2009 the minister asked Sentech to consider further options to roll out the project in only one or two provinces. Hopefully this will encourage a prompt expansion to further provinces within a privatepublic partnership between government and the private sector.