Gauteng schools go paperless
JOBURG - Gauteng MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi said he wanted not to be accused of not delivering text books but to be accused of not downloading as on, 13 January, he will launch a new paperless education system in the province, called the Big Switch On project.
JOBURG – Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi will launch a new paperless education system in the province on 13 January.
The project will be known as the Big Switch On.
The launch will take place at Boitumelong Secondary School in Tembisa. Addressing the media at the provincial National Certificate Exams results announcement at Wits, Lesufi said, “People will see the difference especially in township schools, where all teachers will have laptops, every pupil has a tablet and that in the pilot phase 13 schools will be connected.
“You cannot use 20th century teaching methods to teach the pupils in the 21st century.” He added that chalk and chalkboards would be a thing of the past in Gauteng.
“Our mission is that by 2017 all the schools in Gauteng will be connected using e-learning methods. We will take children to another level. I am proud to say, in these schools about 3700 pupils will never see a textbook. One teacher, one laptop, one pupil, one tablet and one classroom. By 2019 chalk will be history in Gauteng.”
The project will ensure that pupils and teachers have progressive access to broadband, and innovative learning and teaching tools which will enable them to meaningful participate in the economies of the future.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will also attend the launch.
