The education department and the University of the Free State have come up with an innovative technology to help matriculates pass their exams with flying colours and achieve the department’s 2013 85 percent matric pass rate target in the province.
At the beginning of the year during his 2013/14 budget speech, Free State MEC for education, Tate Makgoe committed the department to obtain 85 percent pass rate in the Grade 12 final examination. Now the department is doing all in its power to make sure it reaches that target.
The latest initiative by the department is to install information, communication and technology programme devices at 64 previously disadvantaged schools in 40 towns around the province to help learners cope with their subjects.
Through a collaborative initiative between the department and the ICT Innovation in Education (ICTISE) unit of the University of the Free State, learners across the Free State will receive daily, live and interactive lessons via the internet from the university subject specialists.
The Internet Broadcast Project (IBP) makes use of very small aperture terminal internet technology that allows lessons presented at the studio on the south campus of the university to reach all schools simultaneously.
In Motheo, there are currently three schools that have received the ‘Giant jelly bean’ which is specially designed for learning by the university to help the learners receive quality learning. The department of education invited the media to showcase how the device works.
Learners at Tsoseletso High School in Mangaung were happy with the initiative adding that they had learnt a lot though that device. A Grade 12 learner at the school, Thapelo Selaledi (19) said the device helped him with a section of physics he had been struggling to understand.
He said after the programme was introduced he understands the subject better. The device allows him to download the subject material and read it at home.
Makgoe said the Grade 12 learners will receive an additional eight hours of teaching in eight subjects for the next six weeks.
He said the subjects that are currently being presented by subject specialists to schools across the province are mathematics, physical science, life science, accounting, economics, geography, business studies and mathematical literacy.
The MEC added that the device will not replace the teacher’s presence in the classroom but it will only sharpen the teachers’ skills and learners’ understanding of the subjects. He said the programme was there to make sure that all learners around the province receive quality education.
“The programme will help teachers sharpen their skills because, with the device, they can make recordings to the learners while the learners can also watch the live recordings even if the teacher is off sick, thus ensuring that they are not behind with their school work.”
“When I last visited Singapore I saw that the learners there were using the same devices to learn and they are doing very well, so I’m positive that our learners will also achieve that 85 percent that we promised the citizens of this province,” added Makgoe.
The head of the UFS ICTISE unit, Sarietjie Musgrave said the project was started at the end of 2011 whereby the department identified 60 schools based on their needs.
“The aim of the initiative was to provide live interactive lessons via the internet to schools across the Free State to allow for the development of learner support.”
Musgrave said each school was equipped with dedicated internet access and an all-in-one computer, data projector and sound system that is portable and easy to use. She said the principal, teachers and two learners from every participating school received hands-on training at the university to make sure that all schools know how to use the equipment to address their unique needs.
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