The Outoilet case proves: where government fails, industry can succeed

Friday, November 26th, 2010 | ICT in Africa

“… the industry has shown that it can act a lot faster in this regard than Government ever could.”

This is the closing statement of an article published a few days ago under the heading “How Outoilet was taken out”, which explains how various organizations co-operated to end Outoilet.

Parents were in despair and communities up in arms when Outoilet surfaced as a social networking site accessed by Cape Flats school children via their cell phones.  This vice soon spread to other provinces.  Gang violence, sex, pornography and every imaginable (or unimaginable?) form of filth are discussed on this forum.

Learners flocked to the site.  Schools could not stop it.  Teachers were perplexed, since many of them felt out of their depth in the world of technology.  The education department could not stop it, even though legislation exists which can outlaw it.

Then industry stepped in and did the right thing by breaking the back of Outoilet.  Kudos to the industry!  This incident proves an important point.

Where government can’t succeed, industry sometimes can.

I am confident that the same is true as far as the use of technology in education is concerned.  Up till now government paid lip service to e-education – even published a white paper on it – but failed dismally in making it a reality.

Captains of industry … you proved what you can do with Outoilet.  Won’t you take up the e-education challenge as well?

Tags: education department, industry, sexting

4 Comments to The Outoilet case proves: where government fails, industry can succeed

Mark C
Wednesday, 1 December, 2010

Problem is…there’ s lots more to be closed down. The video I mentioned a few blogs ago is online at another site. If a prefect and principal were the only ones who saw the video, how did it spread or is this another video of the same school or another school?

unknown
Wednesday, 20 July, 2011

joel is gay

unknown
Wednesday, 20 July, 2011

kyle is a fool

unknown
Wednesday, 20 July, 2011

mikhael was available at this time.