The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng is calling on MEC of Education Matome Chiloane and e-Government MEC Bonginkosi Dhlamini to fast-track the delivery of internet connectivity, as 1,726 schools have no access to the internet in the classroom.
The DA made the call after Chiloane revealed in a written reply to its questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature that so many schools were still in what it called the “digital wilderness”.
The party wanted to know the number of schools which do not have internet connective and the ones that have it.
In response, Chiloane, said the department currently oversees 2,221 public schools, of which 605 are priority sites, while 583 are part of the department’s schools of the future programme and 22 are teacher development centres.
“Currently, 1,639 of the 2,221 Public Schools have their own internet connectivity, primarily supporting administrative functions such as communication.”
Chiloane added that of the 583 schools in the department’s schools of the future programme, 375 still have classroom that are unconnected.
“These schools are at various stages of implementation, and the department is working diligently to close these gaps.”
He said the plan is to connect these schools by the end of fourth quarter of the 2024 and 2025 financial year.
“In addition, the remaining 1,726 public schools also have no connectivity to the classrooms, meaning that while their administrative blocks have internet access, learners and educators are not yet benefiting from fully connected classrooms.”
He admitted that the lack of classroom connectivity hinders the ability to integrate digital learning tools effectively.
Meanwhile, DA’s spokesperson for education in the province, Michael Waters voiced concern about the challenges that learners face due to the lack internet connectivity.
“In an age where internet connectivity is a prerequisite to teaching and learning, it is incomprehensible that so many of our learners do not have access to it,” Waters said.
“By failing to connect schools to the internet, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) not only denies hundreds of thousands of children opportunities, but also fails to equip them for future employment.”
He said the party is urging Chiloane to work with Dhlamini to speed-up the delivery of internet connectivity.
“It is crucial to ensure that no child is left behind and that we do not create another lost generation.”
Waters said they would write to the chairperson of the Education Portfolio Committee, requesting Chiloane appear before it to provide an explanation.
“Like the DA-run Western Cape government, the DA in Gauteng would partner with the private sector to connect schools to fibre, ensuring super-fast internet connections of up to one gigabyte per second,” he said.
Waters said the party would also offer resources and training to help teachers effectively use digital tools in their teaching practices, improving the learning experience for learners.
“The DA will continue to fight for every Gauteng learner to get the tools they need to succeed in the digital era.”
Waters said the party is committed to join forces with the private sector to assist schools out of what he described as the “digital wilderness”.
“Every learner deserves an opportunity to excel in an ever-evolving digital landscape,” Waters said.
IOL News