Government has approved the National Schools e-Connectivity Framework through the e-Connectivity Forum in a bid to boost the quality of education.
Deputy communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, notes that, as part of the plan, (and in line with amended universal service obligations) mobile operators will connect an additional 4 500 schools, 338 of which will be in the North West Province. This would be in addition to the 8 491 schools that have been connected through government and industry initiatives in the past five years.
Ndabeni-Abrahams, addressing members of the Youth Sector Parliament at the North West Provincial Legislature, noted the first phase stemmed from the FIFA tournament and saw Telkom connect 1 650, which have a printer, projector and wireless access points enclosed in a trolley for mobility. "When this government says education is an apex priority, we have the plans and the resources to go with our belief.
"I therefore encourage the youth seated in these chambers to take advantage of these opportunities and Google yourself out of your current situation."
The World Economic Forum's 2013 Global Information Technology Report placed SA's mathematics and science education second-last in the world, only ahead of Yemen. It also noted the overall quality of the education system ranked 140 out of 144 countries, while Internet access came in at 111 out of 143 countries.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said the e-connectivity framework was government's endeavor to improve SA's rankings. She added, to advance education, it was important that young people equip themselves with skills that are relevant to the job market. "In particular, the uptake of maths and science at high school level and engineering at tertiary level has been highlighted as issues of concern."
However, Ndabeni-Abrahams noted government does not have a "monopoly on solutions" and the youth need to be active in local, provincial and national initiatives in the public, non-governmental and private sectors to improve the lives of young South Africans.
Youth Sector Parliaments play an important role in our young democracy as they provide a platform to discuss the role of the youth in the mainstream economy, social cohesion and youth participation in governance, said Ndabeni-Abrahams. They offer a platform for youth to interact with stakeholders from other sectors, including business, further education and training, she added.
"We cannot ignore our challenges, but neither should we ignore the gains we have made to advance the causes for which the youth of 1976 paid with their lives."
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