The Herald
By Tonderai Rutsito
23 May 2013
European-based non-profit-making organisation Worldreader recently donated 50 tablets to King George School VI for the Physically Challenged in Bulawayo. The tablets are of the Amazon Kindle fire variety, which have a capacity to carry 3 000 books and they came preloaded with hundreds of both local and international educational books.
Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Senator David Coltart, who handed over the donation, commended Worldreader for its kind gesture.
“Worldreader has already provided more than 400 000 books worldwide so far and increased its presence in Africa, and we are glad that today they are in Bulawayo and these books will go a long mile in assisting our students,†said Senator Coltart.
The minister said it was imperative that Government institutes the reformation and review of the education curriculum to align it with the latest technology developments worldwide.
Senator Coltart said a lot is being done to digitalise all books and this is expected to be complete soon as negotiations with publishers are already at an advanced stage.
“We have a huge challenge as a ministry of trying to maintain over 8 000 schools on a budget of only US$500 0000,†he said.
Worldreader marketing manager Nadja Borovac highlighted that already three of the biggest publishers in Zimbabwe have agreed to digitalise all their content and this will be available on their android app, online portal and the popular biNu Platform.
“The biNu platform is a virtual platform that makes any phone a smartphone in the cloud by allowing non-smartphones to act exactly like smartphones without any hardware hindrances.
“Today most feature phones cannot run apps like Whatsapp but on biNu, even the Worldreader app is simply easy and fast to read online,†said Dani Zacarias, the digital publishing manager with Worldreader.
Micheal Rothwell Smith said some of the top publishers they are working with include Amabooks and OpenBooks an online platform for publishers.
“It is Worldreader’s vision to see books reaching places where they are needed and today we feel we have successfully initiated our cause in Zimbabwe,†he said.
The kindle books were given out to the school as part of the digital library, reaching out to hundreds of the students as they no longer need to wait for turns to use the few books in their library.
The Amazon Kindle books also come with Wi-Fi and edge internet connectivity to download new content for the readers periodically.
Kindle fire tabs are simple tablets without LCD technology and come in simple black and white display which does not require much power to function and bring texture which is as good as standard books without any eye straining effects on the reader.
The tablets can be operated for more than three weeks without the battery being recharged. Worldreader identifies schools, teachers that need assistance and works with communities and local officials, partners with local and international publishers and other top-tier companies to bring e-books to under-served families in the developing world.
Worldreader has also donated tabs to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda .