The Interactive Telematics Teaching Programme, run by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), will soon be piloted in primary schools in the province, following the success of the programme as shown by a recent analysis.
"I am excited that in 2014 we will be piloting this service in our primary schools," says WC minister for education Donald Grant. "Ten primary schools will be selected to pilot lessons that aim to improve language and maths performance of Grade Six learners."
The telematics programme, a collaborative project between the WCED and the Division of Telematic Services at Stellenbosch University, was first piloted in 2009, at 10 schools. The project has since grown to include 146 schools across the province.
Initially, the programme was targeted to support Grade 12 learners in underperforming schools and schools that needed additional support. It later expanded to include tuition for Grade 11 learners, and this year expanded to Grade 10 in order to support the WCED's maths and science strategy.
"A recent analysis of the schools participating in the telematics programme indicates the National Senior Certificate (NSC) pass rate of schools taking part grew from 60.37% in 2010 to 72.49% in 2012," says Grant. "The number of candidates at telematics schools passing matric with access to Bachelor degree studies increased from 2 499 to 3 506 over these three years, representing an increase from 12.53% to 18.96%."
Bronagh Casey, spokesperson for the department, explains the telematic services system is based on a combination of satellite, cellphone (SMS protocol), smart card and Web-based technology.
"It has an on-campus broadcast studio with modern television and chroma-key equipment, which make it possible to broadcast live interactive presentations complemented by computer applications. A mobile camera unit and editing equipment are also available to pre-record video clips as additional learning resources that may be used during the broadcasts."
All the schools that from part of the programme are equipped with satellite equipment for receiving video, audio and data signals, including a television monitor or data projector and sound system. They are also supplied with cellphones and card readers, which are used for login and interaction with the presenter, for example making comments and responding to questions.
National expansion
According to Grant, the success of the programme has led to other provinces following suit. "After numerous discussions and a visit by representatives from the Northern Cape, the Northern Cape Education Department decided to implement the project in a selection of schools. Today, 76 schools in the NC are participating in the programme," says Grant.
The programme was also recently introduced on a lesser scale in the Free State, where four schools are participating in the programme.
The 80 schools in the two provinces are beamed lessons from the Stellenbosch studio, facilitated by teachers from the Western Cape.
"The WCED is also providing the schools in the NC and FS with electronic copies of the lessons for them to print for their learners, and DVDs are available to purchase from EDUMEDIA," says Grant.
A similar programme was rolled out by the Gauteng Department of Education last week, where live broadcasts are transmitted via satellite from the Mindset studio, in Randburg, directly into a number of classrooms in the province.
The focus of this programme is currently on mathematics for Grade Eight and Nine pupils in 15 schools, reaching approximately 5 200 learners.
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