Keynote Address by the Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga, MP, at the official handover of tablets donated by the embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium, held in Bela Bela, 6 November 2020
Programme Director
Your Excellences the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium H.E. Mr Didier Vanderhasselt, and
The Ambassador of the European Union H.E. Ms Riina Kionka
CEO of Belgium Campus ITversity, Mr Enrico Jacobs
Spa Park Primary School Principal Mr Johan Adams
Distinguished officials from the Embassy of Belgium and the Delegation of the European Union
Teachers and Learners
SGB Chairperson, and Members
Distinguished guests
It is my honour and privilege to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Kingdom of Belgium for the contribution of 30 tablet devices to the Spa Park Primary School.
Today’s donation is part of a broader ICT programme known as the ‘School in a Box’ project.
The ‘School in a Box’ programme is a three-year project that entails procuring ICT equipment such as tablet devices that are pre-loaded with the English language and Mathematics subjects’ learning material.
The novelty of ‘School in a Box’ concept is that the tablet devices are moved or carried by the teacher from class to class. In that way, all learners can benefit from the wonders of ICT.
As some of you may know this innovation, the ‘School in a Box’ concept is an initiative of the Social Project - an NPO which operates iLearning Centres across the country.
The Spa Park Primary School’s goal was to have at least 15 tablet devices by the end of 2020, and a total of 60 tablets by 2022.
Luckily, through the generosity of the Belgians based on our solid bilateral relationship dating back many years ago with the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium, we are today accepting a donation of 30 tablet devices.
These tablet devices allow all learners from Grade 1 to Grade 6 to use ICT to learn at their level.
At least some 1320 children in this school and 30 teachers will benefit from this ‘School in the Box’ initiative.
Programme Director, the donation we are receiving today is part and parcel of the Belgians’ people in their quest to help us to accelerate progress towards the universal roll-out of ICTs.
As you may recall, in 2009, in his State of the Nation Address, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Government would provide every school child in South Africa with digital workbooks and textbooks on a tablet device within six years.
We are on track to provide each learner and teacher with an ICT device with access to digitised Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSMs) as per the president’s commitments.
These tablet devices’ donation comes at an opportune time as we recover from the devastation caused by the global health emergency occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic that saw schools closed for some time.
Since the phased-in-reopening of schools, we have been experimenting with the use of ICTs for learning and teaching.
We are experimenting with ICTs (through the TeacherConnect App), and television supported tuition, especially for matrics through the innovative and partners’ driven programme, the Woza Matrics 2020 Catch up Campaign.
We urge all teachers and learners in the public schooling system to download this App and make use of it.
It has built-in COVID-19 screening capabilities (through HealthCheck, a National Department of Health platform).
In the main, the TeacherConnect App is a tool for both teaching and learning during the times of COVID-19 and beyond.
I urge you to download the TeacherConnect App. It is available through the chat service, WhatsApp.
To access the App, teachers, parents and learners can save and interact with the TeacherConnect App on this number 060 060 3333 to conduct a health check and access other educational services as explained.
We have to be mindful that the COVID-19 pandemic is still lurking in the shadows. We must remain vigilant.
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is a real possibility.
Programme Director, we warmly accept this act of solidarity from the people of Belgium to augment our ICT roll-out.
We note with appreciation that in 2019, the Belgium Embassy donated second-hand ICT equipment to this very community and School.
We consider the donation timely, and it addresses the urgent need to deploy ICTs for learning and teaching amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It complements the work we do in this area.
This occasion today indeed reaffirms the importance of our bilateral diplomatic relations and warm friendship between our governments and our people.
Our bilateral relations are informed by the Bilateral Joint Commission of Cooperation (JCC) which was signed in November 2004 during an official visit to Belgium by our former President, His Excellency Thabo Mbeki.
South Africa’s friendship with Belgium, both at diplomatic as well as people-to-people levels continue to grow from strength to strength since the advent of our democratic breakthrough back in 1994.
The Republic of South Africa’s imports from Belgium was over US$ 900 Million during 2019, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
Whereas, South Africa’s exports to Belgium was over US$ 2.73 Billion during 2019, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.
Our warm diplomatic ties transcend the officialdom as we have extended it to people-to-people.
Belgium is an important source of inbound tourism to South Africa.
According to South African Tourism, around 40 000 Belgian tourists visited South Africa in 2011, placing her in the 13th position globally as a long haul market for tourists.
Therefore the Belgian’s act of kindness displayed today opens up new frontiers for an even stronger relationship between the Kingdom of Belgium and Republic South Africa from which we can all benefit.
Our bilateral cooperation has indeed provided a much-needed platform for mutual exchange and partnership between our two countries.
Like other countries across the world, we have faced significant challenges towards reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet, through all these difficult times, South Africa, remains steadfast in its quest to ensure that the right of every child to basic education is protected.
We will do so while also ensuring that all precautions are taken to save the lives of all school communities.
One of the significant challenges that we continue to face is the deployment of ICTs for learning and teaching as part of the new normal.
Truth be told ICT equipment is the new gold in the basic education sector.
The extent of a school’s resources such as ICTs has a direct impact on the daily lives of learners and teachers.
As Government, we are acutely aware of the enormous backlogs in the provision of the necessary infrastructure to the schools from disadvantaged communities.
From a fiscal point of view, as the Republic of South Africa, we are unable to meet all these growing educational needs hence our partnership with the private sector including our international friends such as the European Union as well as the Belgium Embassy.
Just yesterday, I was in Soweto, one of the largest townships in South Africa where I accepted a multi-million rand ICT equipment donation to the underserviced schools in Gauteng.
Thus, the donation of these tablet devices will go a long way to help to meet the moving target of providing ICTs to our schools.
The tablet devices will provide the learners with the necessary tools to partake in the world of technology marked by the interconnectedness of the digital natives.
It also provides impetus to learners to connect themselves into the digital future, write themselves into existence as it were.
As a country, we are heartened that even during the COVID-19 storm; our mutual commitment to work together in promoting basic education as an integral part of our broader diplomatic relations remains intact.
Today’s event strengthens our friendship during uncertain times.
So, this donation comes at the right time as we gradually open the economy to save livelihoods and rescue, not just the 2020 academic year but a whole generation of learners.
As South Africa, with our friends in the Kingdom of Belgium, we have managed the COVID-19 pandemic in a spectacular successful fashion.
It warms my heart to say both in our respective countries; the worst is over.
The Kingdom of Belgium has registered case fatalities of less than 20 000 like us with over 468,213 COVID-19 cases.
As we know, South Africa has over 731 000 cases. However, the cabinet is concerned that South Africans have grown increasingly indifferent in their response to the pandemic and are no longer following lockdown regulations.
We have noticed that some people are behaving recklessly and irresponsibly as if Covid-19 no longer exists.
Our warning remains that COVID-19 is not on level 1. It is lurking in the shadows, ready to strike. We cannot afford to let our guard down.
We emphasise the call of the cabinet for all people in South Africa to continue adhering to the COVID-19 health protocols.
These include practising social distancing, wearing masks in public and washing our hands with water and soap or an alcohol-based sanitiser, and avoid large gatherings. It is that simple!
Nonetheless, we mourn the loss of lives of our people and friends across the globe.
The devastation brought on by the COVID-19 underlies the importance of multi-national cooperation.
We commend the role played by the World Health Organisation in supporting member countries to fight the pandemic.
Let’s continue to stand together to fight the pandemic and rebuild the basic education sectors for the sake of the next generation.
We have together with the support of the international community, faced the storm, and now we are beyond the peak.
Programme Director; it must be noted that we must learn to coexist with the virus, and our best response remains the non-pharmaceutical measures.
Our new battle war cry must move the narrative away from inadequate pharmaceutical response to people versus the virus.
These are challenging times, of fighting an invisible enemy that seeks to decimate lives and livelihoods.
Thankfully, our response, together with the international community, has been marked by solidarity and cooperation.
In conclusion, on behalf of the people of South Africa, I would like to reiterate my sincere gratitude to the people and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium for their generous support to the phased-in-re-opening of schools in our country.
I thank you!
