Eastern Cape Education Development Trust initiates large-scale telematics roll-out

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The Eastern Cape has suffered from criticisms on issues such as the lack of facilities in schools. These centres will provide live, interactive support lessons to Grade 10, 11 and 12 learners in key subjects that include Mathematics, Physical Science and English amongst others. This collaborative effort is also supported by the Western Cape and Northern Cape Departments of Education, who provide the content, while the Telematics Services Division of Stellenbosch installed the centres and is responsible for the technical aspects and broadcasting of the lessons via satellite.

To improve the quality of outcomes ... to ensure we have a sustainable future

As recognised by the National Development Plan, there is a need to improve the quality of outcomes at different grades for mathematics, literacy and science, and collaborations such as these will ensure that we work towards that goal. The business community has also been very enthusiastic about the project and has already contributed to an additional seven centres.

The first phase of the project has already seen 46 schools (two in each of the 23 school districts) being provided with the necessary hardware and training, as well as being supported with additional web-based content for learners and teachers. These centres will see a massive increase in learning opportunities for learners and teachers in those districts.

The second phase will see many more centres being established. Another exciting aspect of the initiative is that the centres can also be used for teacher professional development, using a blended approach of face-to-face contact and live broadcast of lectures. School Governing Body and leadership training will also be explored, as the use of the centres will drastically cut the cost of training and support to schools.

The ECEDT was created to create a pool of resources and funding that will be used to advance education and educational institutions in the Eastern Cape. There have been numerous projects that have been successfully completed by the Trust, these were not just about mortar and brick but also focused on community involvement, use of local labour, skills transfer, ownership of the completed facilities and handover of facilities to the Department of Education.

It is projects such as these that reaffirm that South African business and other education institutions remain committed to working together with government in the development of our society by investing in early and basic education to ensure we have a sustainable future.

The Trust has six key focus areas that support the strategic objectives of the Eastern Cape Education Department. These are: teacher professional development, mathematics and science education, literacy, management and leadership development, Early Childhood Development and infrastructure development.