JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – LEARNING outcomes at rural and underperforming schools in South Africa are set for a major improvement as virtual teaching becomes a reality through new education technology.
Vodacom, the mobile network operator, and the Department of Basic Education, on Tuesday took the digitalisation of education national a step further through the demonstration of the ‘Virtual Teacher’ platform in Midrand, north of Johannesburg.
The move follows Vodacom’s Programme for Mobile Devices, introduced earlier this year to promote the use of digital technology in the country.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, said government was working with Vodacom to address some of the challenges facing the country’s education system, particularly in remote and underachieving schools.
“This is all about bringing ICT to those who need it most in order to help improve learning outcomes for all education in our country,” the minister said.
“The future of the South African education system is digital and we must embrace the opportunities this offers to leapfrog infrastructural backlogs and legacy issues in our schools.”
Virtual Teacher is a new interactive technology platform allowing an individual teacher or lecturer to deliver lessons in real-time to multiple remote classrooms or locations simultaneously.
Through a range of smart devices, learners can join classes from anywhere and at any time. Said to be a first in South Africa, the technology can be accessed through any personal device.
Portable hardware which delivers high quality visuals and sound supports the platform, which can also accommodate unlimited viewer numbers.
The technology enables live interaction with the remote audience through a texting question-and-answer facility for written responses during the lesson.
Content can also be zero rated by Vodacom if required.
Vuyani Jarana, Chief Officer at Vodacom Business, said the Virtual Education offering marked a major restructuring of the economics of the higher education system.
“It will also change the way we look at how South Africans learn and are taught across different sectors of our society,” Jarana said.
– CAJ News
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