The Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) 2014 vision to integrate ICTs in its White Paper on e-Education has taken longer than expected and hasn't been evenly spread.
This is according to Dr Corrin Varady, education analyst and CEO of IDEA, an edtech platform that seeks to democratise education by harnessing the power of technology.
However, the department is updating its outdated policies with new guidelines to improve e-learning in schools, he said.
“At the recently hosted E-Learning Summit in East London, the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) illustrated that it is making strides in e-education adoption - further evidenced by the province achieving the most rapid increase in the number of matric pupils passing (averaging an 5.6% improvement year-on-year). There are extremely valuable lessons from this evidence-based approach for developing a more future forward policy of remediation that can lead to excellence,” said Dr Varady.
“Our MEC has laid down the gauntlet, challenging e-learning to be innovative, and daring to find solutions that will drive educational outcomes,” said Dr Esethu Stofile, Chief Education Specialist for E-Learning at the ECDoE.
According to Dr Varady, under the previous administration, the DBE measured its e-learning implementation efforts solely on the number of schools equipped with internet connectivity and ICT devices.
“While these tools are undeniably foundational for digital education, they are just one component of a functional e-learning framework. In the Eastern Cape, however, the vision is now clear. It is very much focused on the simultaneous nurturing of critical elements such as teacher training, instructional video recording and a multimedia digital curriculum as well as monitoring and evaluation. Outcomes are then measured based on how well students learn and teachers teach, rather than simply tracking the distribution of devices.”
“Attracting private sector innovation for public sector education ensures the future of outcomes.”
Dr Coddin Varady
Dr Varady siad public-private partnerships are a key part of the ECDoE’s framework as they provide schools with ICT devices, educational software, e-library content, smart classrooms, and virtual lessons led by experts.
Given the successes of provincial departments like ECDoE and the Gauteng Department of Education in e-learning integration, he advised that policy direction should come from the country’s provinces themselves, with an outline provided by the DBE.
“Provinces must have ownership of their own e-learning implementation given that each region has its own unique needs and challenges that have to be addressed. Ultimately, it is up to them to run these programmes, so it is crucial that they have the flexibility to put these into practice effectively. Additionally, learnings can be shared across provinces to improve educational outcomes nationally.”
Dr Varady noted that ECDoE, previously seen as a rural province, is now leading the way in transformation, proving that effective policy can drive significant change.
“E-learning can no longer be an exercise in ticking boxes. Given the nationwide pressing issues of classroom overcrowding, teacher shortages, and infrastructure backlogs, a forward-thinking e-learning implementation policy is now urgently needed if we are to ensure that every child in South Africa enjoys the right to a quality education.”
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