Futurekids SA, part of the international computer technology education group, says the 350th local school has implemented the Futurekids training system
Futurekids SA is now teaching IT skills to over 67 000 students, of which 63 000 are in schools.
"The way we look at it is that we are making sure that 67 000 South Africans will get jobs one day, or immediately become more employable, in the case of entry-level adult training," says Futurekids executive chairman, Abrie du Preez.
"And this is not an unrealistic claim, because we teach lifelong computer mastery, not software packages. We are also empowering many school teachers with IT skills and an understanding of computer technology, we are assisting in the implementation of outcomes-based education and the full integration of IT into learning areas in schools."
Futurekids says it remains the only company in SA that can offer a world-proven, structured, outcomes-based IT curriculum for schools. Private and public schools around the country use Futurekids, including numerous schools in disadvantaged areas in Soweto, the Eastern Cape and Free State, School of Tomorrow Accelerated Christian Education schools and home schools.
Du Preez points out that it is interesting from a business perspective that the huge success with school implementation came about as a result of turning the Futurekids marketing model around by 180 degrees three years ago.
"We started out in 1995 as a pure educational franchise operation. We rolled out 75 franchises in just two years and brand-built the name very successfully. Late in 1996, we took a critical look at where the real need for our system and curriculum lay, and saw that it was in the schools themselves. So, instead of offering IT educational centres that the children had to come to, we took Futurekids to them.
"This was a particularly difficult period for SA schools, hampered by financial constraints, lack of facilities and a shortage of teachers while simultaneously facing the need to teach IT and change to outcomes-based education."
He says that convincing schools that Futurekids` ready-to-implement system for IT training was more efficient and cost-effective than trying to do it themselves, was tough going in the beginning. Schools were not used to the outsourced supplier approach, and many were trying to re-invent the wheel to teach IT skills.
The majority of teachers were not IT literate and they had neither the time nor the expertise to create a structured curriculum.
Futurekids adopted the approach of meeting the identified needs of schools, in consultation with the schools. In as much as the company has changed its marketing stance, the schools had to break with tradition and conventional practice to embrace Futurekids as a partner in education.
Du Preez says it is a tribute to the vision of many forward-looking school principals, headmasters and teachers that many did, and are still doing so in increasing numbers.
Futurekids` approach in meeting the identified needs of schools, has seen a number of changes in the company`s marketing, products, services and structure over recent years.
The critical need for teacher training led to the introduction of professional courses for qualified school teachers and a joint venture with the University of Pretoria to offer an accredited two-year further diploma in computer-assisted education.
With the adoption of outcomes-based education in SA, Futurekids started focusing on integration of IT into all learning areas and training the schools` teachers in integration. A specially developed project-based, school-to-work Futurekids curriculum was introduced for high schools.
The company also moved away from establishing and running IT centres in schools, to training the schools` teachers to run their own centres, and showing them how these centres could be used to generate extra funds for the school by servicing other sectors of the community.
Futurekids provides strong support and on-going training to school teachers working with the system, in the form of regular meetings, specific training and workshops, focusing on curriculum integration, software development and new themes.
Futurekids has established relationships with various other companies in the IT industry, to bring cost benefits to schools, and forged ties with educational groups, including the SA Teachers` Union.
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