Numerous teachers in the Eastern Cape of South Africa have graduated from an ICT course on using tablets to improve teaching at schools in the region.
The teachers, from Cofimvaba, are part of the second phase of the ICT for Rural Development (ICT4RED) project.
Manager of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Education at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Merryl Ford said 140 teachers graduated, with a 100 per cent pass rate.
Eleven schools have received over 165 tablets as part of the project.
“This is the culmination of a lot of hard work from many people. With the passion and dedication of the team of government, academia, civil society and community working together, there is no limit to our potential as a country,” said Ford.
“Attending classes was not the only requirement for graduation. The teachers have gone through an in-depth assessment process.”
She said the aim is to develop teaching strategies that focus on developing the appropriate way to use technology in the classroom.
“The teachers have worked incredibly hard, moving away from their comfort zones and embracing new ways of teaching,” she said.
“They have moved vast distances from those tentative, trembling fingers a year ago to become the confident, competent and empowered educators they are today.”
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