The annual African EduWeek conference will this year host key sessions on the incorporation of ICT and technologies into the classroom and learning process in a bid to improve educational practices.
Following from the release of the South African matriculation (matric) examination results yesterday, the organisers of the event said the current quality of education is questionable, and both teaching and learning methods need to be reassessed.
As such, this year’s African EduWeek conference – to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 10 and 11 – will focus on key takeaways such as the use of ICT skills to enhance teaching and learning, the role of technology in the classroom, empowering teachers, strengthening school leadership, and improving FET colleges.
“There could not have been a clearer illustration of the need for EduWeek than the matric results we have seen, and responses we are hearing from the education community,” said Tanya Jackman, event director of African EduWeek.
“Learners are leaving school without the necessary tools to succeed, as we see with the high dropout rates from universities and youth unemployment, and this simply has to change.”
This year’s conference has the title of “Empowering teachers to deliver quality education everywhere”, and will include free workshops for teachers to improve their classroom and technical skills.
“Our educators are the most central element in improving the education system, and they must have access to relevant training to develop and equip their learners with the tools required to succeed in professional and further education environments,” said Jackman.
South Africa’s matric results published yesterday saw 78.2 per cent of students pass their exams, despite the minimum pass requirement being just 30 per cent. As such the education system is coming under considerable criticism.
“In the wake of the recently published matric results, the quality of education and indeed of teachers is coming under increased scrutiny as critics cite low pass requirements (30 per cent) and simplified exams, not educational progression, as the key determinant in the results. As 78.2 per cent of matric students passed, questions remain as to whether the quality of education learners receive is high enough,” Jackman said.
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