Teaching in Gauteng gets a face lift
Gone are the old dusty chalkboards and whiteboard markers as seven schools in Ekurhuleni have replaced their old boards for interactive digital boards, on January 14.
“One of the schools, Boitumelong Secondary School, in Tembisa, hosted the launch of this groundbreaking innovation,” said Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gadebe.
The launch was attended by deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, Gauteng premier David Makhura, Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi and Ekurhuelni mayor Mondli Gungubele.
The mayor expressed his satisfaction with the change in resource material used.
“As the city of Ekurhuleni we believe that the education centre must be reference of excellence in the society, and every best thing must happen in our school,” said Gungubele.
“As we move together in connecting Wi-Fi and putting together a digital city we understand the centrality that is bought forth by this ground-breaking initiative,” he said.
Let us all hope that this initiative will be stretched out to all underprivileged schools within Ekurhuleni.
But a number of questions come to mind with regards to this new initiative.
Has the government considered the crime experienced by many in these areas?
In a news bulletin on January 14, enews reported that there have been several attempted break-ins since the tablets and the new interactive digital boards were installed.
And many have also pointed to the electricity outages in South Africa, certainly learning will be interrupted if the electricity is off for a few hours.
Kudos to the government for taking technology seriously but a broader look at the implications of this change, to education, is needed.
