The Department of Communications (DOC) has partnered with the Tshwane North Further Education and Training (FET) College to provide Internet connectivity to the institution.
Acting principal at the college Charles Pule says the partnership between the college's broadband project and the DOC was formed out of frustrations experienced by the institution following its lack of ability to connect all six campuses to head office, and to each other, as well as to the Internet.
The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) says the contract for the installation of 8Mbps WAN to connect the campuses and the head office was awarded to iBurst. “Owing to the fact that the ministry of higher education has always encouraged higher education institutions to utilise ICT infrastructure in order to bring about more efficiency to help educators and students access a wider range of teaching and learning material, the college then approached the DOC for assistance.”
The links installed by iBurst at the campuses have enabled high-speed Internet connectivity, as well as a voice solution that includes up to 10 telephone lines per site. Some of the key benefits enjoyed as a result of this partnership include free calls between the sites, high-speed data transfers between campuses, and reduced telecoms costs to the college and its campuses.
Examination fraud
This project comes at a time when FET colleges are at the centre of the higher education debates, with some voices questioning their viability and relevance as options for further development and education, says the GCIS.
Democratic Alliance former shadow minister of higher education Junita Kloppers-Lourens called on the department to address the chaos within the FET sector.
“The majority of our FET colleges are in disarray and more specifically under poor management, and each year it is the students who suffer because of it.”
In December, Umalusi, the Council for Quality Assurance in education, announced that some of the 2011 examination results were the subject of a fraud investigation. The police have instituted a probe into irregularities regarding six courses: Electrical Trade Theory, Industrial Electronics, Electrotechnology, Engineering Science, Mathematics and Mechanotechnology.
Klopper-Lourens says details around the fraud must be provided. “How extensive is the damage? What is the nature of the irregularities and how will this affect the final announcement of the results?” Umalusi said the department is still investigating the matter and so no details on the investigation can be provided until the matter is concluded.
Pule said that, in such a climate, it becomes even more important for the colleges to have vital tools like Internet connectivity at their disposal to meet the demands and needs of prospective and current students, to enable them to become globally aware and competitive.
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