SINGAPORE : It's a mobile IT classroom on wheels created by students for students.
The Ep-Bus, an open double decker bus classroom, will make its rounds visiting about 100 Singapore schools within a year.
But instead of seats, the bus is equipped with the latest in digital photography gadgets.
And instead of ferrying passengers, it will drive the message of volunteerism to 100,000 students.
The brainchild of ITE and polytechnic volunteers, the bus is used to teach students about IT. The students will, in turn, use those newly acquired skills to produce good photographs that will be sold. The proceeds will go to charity.
The plan is to visit about two schools weekly over a one-year period.
And Ep-Bus is already a hit with the first few schools it has visited.
Delphne Tan, a student of Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary said: "Normal classroom session is not boring but neither is it very interesting because you can't move around. You have to sit at your place and learn from the textbooks. But with this mobile classroom, you are moving around when you are learning."
"It's the communication with volunteers. When they ask you a question, you can answer in a more casual way. But if it's the teachers, we'll get scolded if we give the wrong answers," said fellow student Pratip Kumar from Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary.
Although the students are obviously having a lot of fun on the mobile classroom, it took time to put it together.
The volunteers spent a year preparing it and in the process, ran across some unexpected road blocks.
Said student volunteer Shuan Neo: "Because the bus is an open roof-top concept and the LTA (Land Transport Authority) says there is the weight problem - sometimes when you turn the bus, it might overturn."
"And the number of people you can seat inside. These are some of the regulations we had to tackle and resolve. For example, if the bus moves, what happens to the printer inside."
The bus will also be travelling to Malaysia with student volunteers to take part in Malaysia's National Day celebrations.
- CNA /ls