While lockdown has called a halt to schooling, some pupils have been catching up online with the Siyavula e-learning platform.
A partnership between Siyavula Education and the MTN SA Foundation has seen 50 learners scoring 100% for the entire year’s maths and science curriculum, using Siyavula’s online platform over the past couple of months.
Earlier this year, the MTN SA Foundation invested R3 million into the Siyavula platform that gives learners and teachers free access online textbooks, practice software and exam preparation content.
MTN SA Foundation’s GM Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi says, “If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that our teachers and youth need to look at harnessing the power of technology to supplement traditional forms of teaching and learning."
Some pupils using the platform have recently completed Siyavula’s maths and science curriculum. The syllabus is aligned with the national CAPS curriculum and also offers pupils rewards in the form of ‘atoms’, earned for correct answers and for completing chapters. Atoms are also linked to a learner’s mastery level, measured in percentages.
Siyavula says it registers an average of 150 000 pupils annually but this year it has exceeded 160 000. Pupils signed up individually or through their schools. Teachers can also use the platform to supplement the curriculum.
Tehye Petros is in grade nine at Barnato Park High School in Johannesburg, and was introduced to Siyavula through an afterschool tuition programme at Roedean Academy.
“It’s an amazing platform. When I don’t understand something, it helps me. I was aiming for 100% mastery because I wanted to be ahead of everyone else. I want to be a doctor, and part of my goal is to be excellent in maths,” she says.
Roedean Academy’s former director, Sandra McCallum, says, “The girls really love using it because they get feedback straight away. They can also work at their own pace and do as many examples as they want.”
Matric student Bokang Mafereka has been using Siyavula since he was in grade nine. He attends Curtis Nkondo ICT School in Soweto and hopes to attend university in 2021 and become a software developer or cyber security specialist. While the 2020 academic year hangs in the balance, he believes self-study can help learners catch up lost time.
Using the online textbooks and past exam papers, Mafereka has completed the platform’s grade 12 maths curriculum and is almost done with the physical sciences syllabus. His maths teacher, Belenda Mlambo, says, “We set assignments for the learners to do at home and can track their progress, so it’s very helpful. Lockdown has been extremely difficult but I can see that some of my learners are still practicing and working.”
The Siyavula e-learning platform is available on www.siyavula.com or in the Google Play Store. It is zero-rated for MTN customers.
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