Innovation is revolutionising provision of education in Africa

By MTHULISI SIBANDA,JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – THE advent of digital learning, which spells doom to the centuries-old traditional chalkboard method, is poised to address the education gaps and enhance education standards in the continent and equip learners and teachers with the necessary skills to participate in the digital economy.Also called electronic learning (e-learning) it is taking rot in Africa as the most relevant model of education provision regarding the current generation of youth that are techno-savvy, as well as a world that is increasingly revolving around technology.South Africa, the continent’s most advanced economy, has taken a lead in e-learning while the rest of the continent is catching up.Among companies leading the revolution is Extramarks, the Indian firm that has attained global success with new age digital education solutions to schools and learners to make teaching and learning process easy, effective and engaging in the classrooms and at home.Its technologies transform the traditional classroom into futuristic technology-enabled learning environment. Tablets, whose adoption has been phenomenal in the country, are central to this offering as teachers and learners engage each other in real-time. The technology also reduces paper trail and enhances efficiency.Over 7 500 schools across India, Africa, South East Asia and the Middle East have adopted the technology.In South Africa, the company’s entry point to the continent, the Extramarks’ offering is aligned to the official school curriculum and offers live chat functionality for additional assistance.The learners also benefit from other services such as daily study schedule, group study, progress tracking and mentor-guided learning.In addition, through a partnership with mobile network services provider, Telkom, customers with 24-month contracts receive free Extramarks content for children in Grades R to 12.The online service provided by Extramarks, covers English, Life Science, Physical Science, Natural Science and Maths from Grade R to matric and is structured into multimedia-rich ‘Learn’, ‘Practice’ and ‘Test’ modules.Some 5 000 students using the Extramarks service offered by Telkom.“The reception in South Africa has been exciting,” said Atul Kulshrestha, the founder, chairman and managing director of Extramarks, in an interview in Johannesburg.He has been in the country to assess the impact of Extramarks locally.“Reception has been very good. People are very eager to adopt technology. There is a lot of traction in this (schools) segment. There is great demand.”The company has lofty ambitions for the continent.Tanay Kulshreshtha, head of Extramarks South Africa, discloses the company aims to roll its offering to some 9 000 public and 600 private schools.The reception in neighbouring Zimbabwe, the officials said had been encouraging, as has been in Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia. Extramarks is working in partnership with a major mobile network provider plying its services in these countries.“This is our entry plan. We have big plans for the African continent,” said Atul.Pilot projects are planned for Botswana and Mozambique.Meanwhile, Samsung, the electronics maker with the biggest market share in the continent is revolutionising education is making the most of the abundant sunshine in Africa.It has rolled out its Solar Powered Internet Schools, geared specifically towards increasing accessibility to education and connectivity.Because the school is solar-powered, mobile and completely independent, it is seen as ideal for remote locations and limited access to electricityEach school consists of a 12 metre long shipping container, able to accommodate 21 learners at a time.There are notebooks and netbooks all optimised for use in a solar-powered environment, with an assurance of uninterrupted power supply.The company is constantly growing our reach, now with smart schools and Solar Powered Internet schools spread widely in Ghana Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia.Such initiatives are hailed for enhancing access to education in the continent.According to Caerus Capital’s report, Business of education in Africa, sub-Saharan Africa has the best record of improvement of any region since the Millennium Development Goals were established in 2000.Total enrolment from primary school-age to high school leaped from over 117 million to about 132 million.“It’s been bandied about for a while now that digital solutions will go a long way to helping to alleviate Africa’s education challenges. Certainly, the rate at which digital penetration is taking place across Africa is promising,” said Sthembile Shabangu, Samsung Africa spokeswoman.German-based expert, Jans Ischebeck, said e-learning in an African context, is a means of reaching potential students, for example by their mobile phone, in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.He said e-learning was independent of geography, did not need the traditional infrastructure of schools, classrooms and libraries“This means that development steps can be leapfrogged and gaps in skills and training can be filled more quickly,” said Ischebeck. He noted the education sector in Sub-Saharan Africa was leading in adopting technology to complement instruction delivery while Africa was home to some of the fastest growing economies globally and its huge youthful population holds the continents promise to attain developmental goals and industrialization efforts.“To achieve this, education is a key pillar to attain individually and collectively the aspirations of the continent. It is, therefore, necessary to adopt other means of instruction delivery that will impart skills necessary in a fast pacing world,” Ischebeck said