Script required to create many user accounts

[Hendrik Boshoff]

Hi

I have created a file with details of 360 children to whom I want to
give access to our Edubuntu lab. It is a comma separated variable with
the following fields:

  username, full name, password, group1, group2

Can someone help with a script to create these users in a batch, and
give them membership of both groups?

The passwords are based on a standard pattern including their birthday.
Not ideal, but I want to create a mailmerge letter to each containing
their particulars. They will be encouraged to choose their own password
once they have log'd on. (Is there a way to pre-expire a password?)

Thanks for any help.

Hendrik Boshoff
hfvb at ing.rau.ac.za