The Wired for Life project, which provides Gauteng students and teachers with access to cutting-edge education technology, is on its way to impacting 80 000 classrooms and empowering one million learners across the province.
This emerged at an event this morning in Midrand. It was organised by the Gauteng Department of Education in partnership with e-learning solutions provider, VastraTech, the South African distributor of Smart Technologies.
Also in attendance were teachers from the province who are involved in the Wired for Life project. The teachers were, however, disappointed as Gauteng education MEC Panyaza Lesufi failed to arrive for the event.
Rapid digitisation
The Wired for Life project was launched in 2015. At that time, Lesufi was said to have made it his mission to ensure Gauteng learners and teachers are equipped with tools that will allow them to succeed in a rapidly digitising, tech-driven world.
In a recorded video statement broadcast at the event, Lesufi said: "We need to be a part of what is termed the 'Fourth Industrial Revolution'. It's about robots, it's about driverless cars, it's about coding, and our learners need to be part of that world. I want them to be a part of global innovation."
In partnership with VastraTech and Smart, Lesufi launched Wired for Life, a programme that aims to provide every learner with a tablet, every teacher with a laptop, and every classroom with a smart board.
"I travelled across the world to explore and determine where the world is [with education],"said Lesufi. "I was at an expo in London, and I went through lots of products. When I saw the Smart product I said, 'this is what I want'."
Lesufi emphasised that he recognised Smart Technologies would provide a solution which could essentially 'grow' with South African learners, and that would be sustainable in the long-term.
"The MEC chose Smart and VastraTech as partners because we provide solutions designed specifically for education, and have the expertise in efficacy and implementation to make the rollout successful," says Gary Bekker, CEO, VastraTech.
"This is a hugely important project, because it aims to ensure that youth in South Africa have equal access and opportunities to 21st century tools - and seeks to enable them to compete in a highly competitive global marketplace."
"When students have access to high quality technology, purpose built for learning, it can change their lives," says Jenna Pipchuk, director of EMEA sales at Smart Technologies. "We've seen it happen around the world. We're delighted to be working with Gauteng province to help its learners discover and develop the greatness within them."
Exceeding expectations
The Wired for Life project is now entering the fourth phase, and the rate of adoption and engagement is exceeding expectations.
"With more than 6 000 classrooms equipped, the fourth phase of the rollout is showing promising early data around increases in student enrolment and the reduction of abandonment rates in the local education system," says Bekker.
Teachers are reporting that learner engagement has increased and that smart boards are creating a community of learning among students, he notes, adding that learners are able to work on their own as well as in groups and the introduction of technology is providing exciting future opportunities, such as coding in schools.
Bekker points out that notably, the strategic initiative has required a significant level of commitment to drive it forward in order to transform the education system. This commitment includes teacher training, with VastraTech undertaking to train SA teachers around the use of interactive whiteboards and other cutting-edge technology tools, he notes.
"We have over 200 facilitators on the ground, involved day-to-day in the lives of these teachers," adds Candice du Preez, COO, VastraTech. Since the launch of the project, over 4 800 teachers have been trained to use the new technology and effectively implementing it in their classrooms.
The strategic decision to invest in purpose-built tech for education will put SA on par with countries such as the US and UK, Du Preez adds.
Shaping the future
Although technology is at the core of Wired for Life, Lesufi emphasised that success is ultimately about the students and teachers, and giving them the tools to shape their own futures.
"The interactive nature of the software is important, because you need to bring the power of the teacher back - and the teacher must be in control," he explained. "The Smart product brings that power to the teacher, and it has become a product that is very close to my heart, and that can take us where we want to go."
For young learners, he continued, Smart is a way of bridging the digital divide, and learning to both compete and succeed in a global environment fuelled by innovation, disruption and constant learning.
"I'm giving ordinary South Africans opportunities to prosper," adds Lesufi. "To me, it's an investment in the future."
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