Speech delivered by the Minister of Basic Education Mrs. Angie Motshekga, MP, at the 2nd phase ‘Big Switch On’ Paperless Classrooms Programme, held at Protea Glen Secondary School, Gauteng
Programme Director,
Gauteng Premier Mr. David Makhura,
My Colleagues in the Cabinet,
Gauteng Education MEC Mr. Panyaza Lesufi and other MECs present,
Mayors,
Councillors,
School Governing Bodies’ Members,
Learners, Teachers and Parents,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Programme Director, it is with great joy and indeed an honour to be part of this digital revolution as we launch 2nd Phase ‘Big Switch On’ Paperless Classrooms Programme. In this phase it means “All Grade 12 Township Schools Go Digital”.
Programme Director; we must admit that the transformation of our education system into 21st century learning environments that provide our learners with the skills they need to succeed in today's information age economy is long overdue.
The benefits of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in education have been researched and articulated succinctly. For example the Africa Institute of South Africa (ICT) researcher Thabani Mdlongwa argues quite correctly that the integration of ICT into the curriculum of learners is of immense benefit to them.
Firstly, exposure to ICT allows learners to develop skills that will give them an edge in an ever-increasingly technology-saturated work environment.
Secondly, the introduction of ICT into the school curriculum allows learners to become creators of knowledge in their own right, for example through conducting research for a school project on the internet and then having to produce, say, a PowerPoint presentation.
Furthermore, learners who continue to use ICT in doing their assignments and projects begin to cultivate a culture of personal information management, independent learning and working without supervision, communication skills, teamwork and research skills, which are highly valued in today’s global workforce.
This launch is taking place subsequent to a successful Youth Month Programme hosted in Gauteng. At the heart of the Youth Month Programme was youth mobilization across the length and breadth of province, focusing on issues affecting young people.
The issues ranged from unemployment, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and increasing rate of dropouts in schools and institutions of higher learning, HIV/Aids and other opportunistic diseases. The highlight of the programme was that of exposing youth to career opportunities and mobilising them to participate in the economy within the context of “township economy” and youth entrepreneurship. Throughout the campaign, it has been evident that education and youth development is at the centre of our economic revolution.
Addressing the Youth Month programme, I emphasised the importance of reading. I also said: “Our commitment to making reading fashionable, in July this year we intend to launch the first phase of our ground-breaking programme of the establishment of 1000 fully functional school libraries per year until 2019.” Programme Director, I am happy to announce that we are launching the 1000 School Libraries Campaign tomorrow.
As we should know the modern economy is dependent on technology, information and ICT skills. At the heart of this remains the good old habit of reading. To reap the benefits of the knowledge economy the Gauteng Provincial Government has prioritised transformation, modernisation and re-industrialisation (TMR) as its strategic pillars. To realise this vision, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) launched its first seven ICT schools in January 2015 and they were termed “Schools of the Future”.
This programme has revolutionised township education. The package for the seven pilot schools included connectivity, devices, content, training, maintenance & support, security and refurbishment of infrastructure. The intention is to rollout to all the remaining schools, with a particular focus on township schools by 2019.
We are now at 2nd Phase of the “School of the Future” programme targeting the following set of schools:
- All matric classes in no fee paying schools;
- Township schools that achieved 100% matric pass rate in 2014;
- Schools that have been approved for twinning;
- Special intervention schools.
Phase two covers 376 schools, 1800 classrooms, 56 000 learners and 351 educators. The plan is to progressively expand the programme to other public schools in the next remaining four years of the term of the democratic government. The beneficiaries are mainly learners from the previously disadvantaged communities.
The implementation of the programme has been preceded by an audit on ICT status in schools both in respect of the use of technology and the identification of good practice by individual schools. This audit informed the implementation strategy and targets of the E-Learning programme.
This launch marks a historic moment as we are equipping each leaner with a tablet, each teacher with a laptop, each classroom with a laptop and interactive smart board. These schools will experience for the first time state-of-the-art technology to support effective teaching and learning in class. The project is standing on six pillars, namely;
- Connectivity
- Devices
- E-Learning content
- Training and Development (Teachers and Learners)
- Support, security and maintenance
- Refurbishment and renovation
Before ICT work could commence, a lot of work was done by our infrastructure team to refurbish the schools. The matric schools will also have their ablutions facilities refurbished. These schools have now been transformed beyond recognition.
The collaborative effort of the GDE team, Gauteng Treasury, Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, National Department of Education, USAASA, SITA, SENTECH and other state agencies brought this project to a resounding success.
I see no reason why the success of this collaboration cannot be used as a benchmark by other provinces and the rest of the continent. The resources that government has invested in the project shall militate towards a truly non-racial and inclusive education system. Technology as a game changer will assure equity to any learner irrespective of their race, class or gender.
Throughout the country, we shall continue working to increase the effectiveness of the education system to achieve radical social transformation. This radical transformation is shorthand for learning and teaching that occurs in modern classrooms supported by the appropriate ICT to make education more meaningful to all. This is the beginning of a radical shift to intercede and break the recurring shackles of poverty.
The Gauteng “Schools of the Future” Programme’s thrust shall remain the enhancement of the education system’s ability to continuously improve through better and more widespread use of data, research and evaluation, innovation and technology. This process must also guide the planning and delivery of “Schools of the Future” to the rest of the province and the country at large.
Through this project, the Gauteng Provincial Education Department has advanced ICT connectivity and equipment to enable learners to have access to learning material, workbooks and e-books. In enhancing the implementation of the E-Learning programme, educators in these selected schools have been trained in the use of the equipment to facilitate teaching and learning in class through modern technology.
Today, as we introduce ICT in schools, we are bidding farewell to ancient teaching methods of the blackboard, chalk and duster. The theme for this project is “Connected for Life,” and this cements the Gauteng Province truly as a trendsetter.
There is absolutely no reason why results should not improve in these schools given this massive investment in the future of our learners and teachers. Equally, we expect communities, teachers and learners to safeguard these resources as they belong to you. These gadgets are the educational tools for the 21st century learning and teaching.
We commend the Gauteng Education Department, MEC Lesufi and HoD Ngobeni for being the torchbearers of innovation and forward thinking. We as the national department will continue to support this digital revolution in Gauteng. We call upon other provinces to take a leaf out of the Gauteng Provincial Education book.
As a sector, we have already agreed that by 2019, all schools must be ICT enabled and compliant. In an effort to fast-track the implementation of ICT, we have adopted the ‘Big Fast Results’ methodology dubbed Operation Phakisa by the President, to develop comprehensive plans for optimum results. This planning will result in focused implementation and monitoring, especially in the area of ICT, which we believe will yield positive results in all areas of our operations.
Both the preparatory workshop and 1st Operation Phakisa Laboratory have already been held successfully. We expect the final ICT comprehensive implementation plan to be unveiled by the end of this year.
In conclusion, we note with appreciation the collaboration of various state entities and departments in delivering this project. It is indeed true that Working Together We Shall indeed take South Africa Forward.
I thank you!
