ITA and the Gauteng education department team up

Author and educator David Warlick once said: "We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher's hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time."

The Information Technology Association of South Africa (ITA) and the Gauteng Department of Education have heeded the call and teamed up to inspire and nurture South Africa's future engineers, scientists and artists.

Through its Schools of Specialisation (SoS) programme the department of education is taking learners on a journey of self-discovery - to realise their potential as the country's brightest minds.

Schools of Specialisation will focus on particular disciplines such as maths and science, engineering, commerce and entrepreneurship, sport and the arts. By honing skills in these key areas, the department is aiming to transform schooling in Gauteng. The SoS programme forms part of the GDE's Reorganisation of Schools (RoS) programme under the National Development Plan (NDP). These schools will identify, select and develop high school learners who have shown potential and talent in the five disciplines.

Leaders in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) industry have shown their support for the SoS programme. The ITA, being the leaders of the industry, have joined forces with Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi, to discuss the project at a breakfast meeting on Friday, February 26 2016 at the SAP offices in Woodmead. The programme will equip each school and student with the special resources needed to excel at their chosen discipline. The ICT industry will play a key role in establishing and maintaining the technology needed for such an ambitious programme.

To this end the GDE and the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre wants to engage with the ICT industry to seek cooperation and support for the project. Existing schools will be modernised with hardware and bandwidth, and in other cases new purpose built schools will be equipped with the facilities and teachers specific to the five disciplines. In addition, the schools will operate differently in terms of funding and other resources, learner selection, teacher recruitment and training, support and development.

These schools will represent the pinnacle of education in Gauteng but the benefits will be felt throughout the province as new teaching methods and better facilities are rolled out as part of the MEC's plan to transform education.

ITA president Sunil Geness has welcomed the ICT industry's involvement in the programme, saying the industry's participation is critical to the success of the initiative. "The partnership between the IT Industry and Government is viewed as critical to the success of education in South Africa, particularly in Gauteng. The industry welcomes the opportunity to engage with the MEC towards realisation of the Schools Digitalization programme."

The GDE has identified a list of schools that satisfy some of the preliminary requirements to be selected for possible participation in the SoS project. Fontanus Secondary School in Emdeni, Soweto was identified as Gauteng's first school of specialisation. Construction began last year under the project name Zojazem - which stands for Zola, Jabulani, Zondi and Emndeni.

The MEC's breakfast meeting with ICT leaders will be followed by a press briefing where he will brief media on the important details of the SoS programme.