South Africa’s Department of Basic Education, along with mobile operator Vodacom and the Department of Communications (DoC), has announced the opening of an ICT teacher centre in Kimberley.
“The goal is to contribute to the transformation of teaching and learning through the use of technology and sees the expansion of the nine Vodacom ICT centres to forty, which are located across the country,” the DoC said in a statement.
The centre has been equipped with a classroom with 30 laptops, an interactive whiteboard, data projector, internet connectivity, a training centre and educational aids.
The teacher centre is one of 31 that will be opened as part of the partnership.
“Teachers will be trained on the integration of ICT in the classroom… the programme seeks to improve learner performance in mathematics and science. It also provides a platform for creating a community of teachers who can communicate to share ideas and resources,” the DoC said.
“Through this programme, educators will be empowered by the exposure to ICTs which will then enable them to impart valuable skills to learners. Indeed, as the country we do have a good story to tell. It is against this backdrop that we support these ICT resource centres, access centres and cyberlabs as they promote teaching and learning,” said deputy minister of communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.
Vodacom chief officer Maya Makanjee said the programme offers a model whereby South Africa can advance in the area of education through the effective use of communications technology.
