How SEIDET achieved success - an exploration from the perspective of innovation theory

The purpose of this chapter is to assess SEIDET's achievements in the first 10 years of its existence, and to explore the main factors that drove its attainments. There is no doubt that the project has indeed become very successful. Judging by the results of the analysis in Chapter 4, its participants certainly seem to think so. The response from the entire community to the project from its inception has been beyond expectation, indicating that there was a need for it, and that the need was perceived as such by the community. Teaching has been expanding ever since the first classes started back in 1992. New programmes have been added, new branches have been established, and computer literacy courses have been made part of the programme. Currently SEIDET owns a community education centre in Siyabuswa, while two other branches of the project are hosted at other institutions. The main centre in Siyabuswa has grown into a multi-purpose facility providing a variety of educational services and developmental programmes to the local community in association with several other institutions, including the South African Department of Education. ICT was introduced at SEIDET in 1994, when the Executive Committee approached the Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria. Ever since, a mutually beneficial relationship has existed between the department and SEIDET. The first full computer laboratory was established in 1998, and the computers on the main centre were connected to a LAN and the Internet in 2000. At the time of our research (in 2003) there were plans for establishing an IT support centre and to provide Internet and end-user services to the general public on a commercial basis.