Education
The Impact of EduTech in South Africa
COVID-19 has shone the spotlight on the importance of technology, especially within the realm of education. When schools around the country were forced to shut their doors, teachers and students needed to adapt to the prospect of continuing their learning online. While some thrived in these conditions, others struggled through. It became evident that not only is there a lack of practical resources available in South Africa’s less privileged communities, but also a lack of tech-related skills amongst South Africa’s youth. Ultimately, it is clear that the country has a way to go before overcoming many of the hurdles standing in the way of fully embracing the power of EduTech. However, the reality is that the use of technology in education, and all other aspects of daily life, is no longer op...
UNICEF, Patoranking re-release Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Patoranking, a popular Nigerian musician and some other artistes, on Friday re-released the late Bob Marley’s iconic song, “One Love.” This is contained in a statement signed by UNICEF Abuja, Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships officer, Oluwatosin Akingbulu. Mr Akingbulu said that proceeds from the song and related activities would be used to support “Reimagine”, UNICEF’s new global campaign. He said the campaign was organised to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children and to ensure the post-pandemic world was fairer and more equal for every child. “The release is to support UNICEF’s work to reimagine a fairer, more just world for children whose lives had been upended by the COVID-19 pa...
Mastercard Foundation Partners with USIU-Africa to Expand Higher Education Access in Africa
Sourced from PYMNTS USIU-Africa and the Mastercard Foundation have partnered to enable 1,000 high-performing students to receive a quality education and leadership development over the next 10 years under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme. The partnership provides scholarships for high potential students facing financial, gender, displacement or disability constraints. At least 70 per cent of the young people who benefit from the partnership will be young women, while 25 per cent will be displaced or refugee youth and at least 10 per cent will be young people living with disabilities. With this USD 63.2 million partnership, USIU-Africa joins the foundation’s expanding global network of partners committed to developing a generation of African leaders who will use their knowledge ...
Vuma Expands ‘Free Fibre to Schools’ Programme in South Africa
Vuma has officially launched its Fibre to Schools programme in Limpopo, South Africa. As part of the initiative, primary and high schools located along Vuma’s existing fibre deployment route in Polokwane are provided with a free 1Gbps fibre line. Laerskool Pietersburg-Oos in Bendor has already benefited from the initiative, along with Adsum Academy, which received its fibre installations and connection with Capricom. Vuma says that it plans to connect more schools in the coming months. The launch follows the recent arrival of Vuma fibre-to-the-home services in Polokwane, with fibre connections already active in Bendor, Welgelegen, Fauna Park, Flora Park, Sterpark and Annadale with more areas to be added soon. “Fast fibre Internet is the key to ensuring uninterrupted, efficient e-learning e...
Telkom Unveils Online Education Solution for Learners
Image sourced from My Broadband Most classrooms in South Africa have over 50 learners and one dedicated teacher having to give enough attention to each child. This is impossible in most cases resulting in some children being left behind. 2020 has added additional strain to this already tenuous situation with teachers and parents now having to help learners to catch-up on teaching time lost during the lockdown period. With this in mind, Telkom has unveiled an online education solution for learners through the Lightbulb Education platform that can be used seamlessly between school and home. Lightbulb Education focuses on the goals of the learner and creates a path to achieve this goal through a personalised learning journey. Allan Mushabe, CEO and founder of Lightbulb Education, says that te...
Aviation, education ministries, others make presentations at FEC meeting
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over the seventh virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Newsmen report that the Federal Ministries of Aviation; Niger Delta; Education as well as Works and Housing are expected to make presentations at the meeting. Those at the meeting include Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno. Newsmen observed that 11 cabinet ministers joined the president at the Council Chamber for the virtual meeting while other ministers are participating directly from their respective off...
GirlCode to Host Virtual Hackathon Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
GirlCode has announced that its inaugural hackathon will be taking place – this time as a virtual event held in August to coincide with the Women’s Month celebration. The organisation says that COVID-19 has presented a unique opportunity to provide innovative solutions to bridge the digital divide, hence the seventh instalment of the annual hackathon is dubbed “Hack from Home”. GirlCode notes that the global pandemic’s impact on the vulnerable populations of South Africa is unprecedented but with various lockdown restrictions imposed, technology was and still is relevant to allow us to work, transact and to keep us connected. The hackathon’s objective is to entrench and elevate interest in coding and in turn, afford tertiary students eager to join the software industry with an opportunity ...
Vodacom Business and Microsoft Partner on Digital Education Platform
Vodacom Business and Microsoft South Africa have partnered to provide access to continuous, connected digital learning for South Africa’s education institutions, educators and learners through their Connected Digital Education initiative. This is in response to the growing need for affordable online learning solutions that meet the educational requirements of today’s learners through a secure combination of connectivity, collaboration, communication and educational tools and resources, while also considering the long-term need to transform education. The Connected Digital Education Platform is a trusted education platform that enables remote learning with affordable connectivity, ultimately turning the learning environment into a single, simple solution for the learner and giving them acce...
How to Make Money Teaching English Online
The online education market has grown rapidly within recent years. Opportunities for teachers to make money teaching English online are abundant. But make no mistake. You’ll have a lot of competition. In this blog post, we’ll give you some tips on how to stand out and get started making money teaching English online. With everything from qualifications and working hours to marketing and creating a virtual classroom. Your online English teaching adventure has only just begun. Get Qualified This is a crucial first step in your online English teaching career. Paying customers want to be sure they are not studying with a cowboy teacher. Your qualifications are a quick and easy way for potential students to see your teaching ability. As a minimum, most online teaching companies generally requir...
5 Keys to Employee Education, Training and Development
The world is changing fast. That statement is true of all times, but it feels particularly pertinent now as most businesses begin to imagine what a post-COVID-19 landscape could, and should, look like. One thing is for certain, though. Successful business leaders will need to ensure that their employees have proper education, training, and development courses to ensure that they’re able to tackle any and all challenges they encounter in the future. To that end, today we’ll focus on the five keys to implementing a thriving training and development program at your organization. Check them out here: 1. Retention First thing’s first: if you want to develop talented professionals at your company, you have to retain their services. Fortunately, just by focusing on employee training and dev...
5 Things to Consider When Planning a Virtual Graduation
Image sourced from University of Pittsburgh The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly thrust us into the future. Digital technologies have become more entrenched in our daily lives in the past two months than they have over the past two years. If we want to see our loved ones, we jump onto a Teams or Zoom call, if we want to engage in some retail therapy, we turn to eCommerce companies and outlets. There are very few aspects of our day-to-day lives that have not been altered in some way, shape or form by the coronavirus. When it comes to schooling, both younger learners and tertiary-level students have had to adapt to a whole new world of remote learning. Digital tools have made this process a bit easier, and have enabled students to stay on top of their game, even while learning from home. An...
MTN, Cell C and rain Zero-rate Education Programmes for Youth
Major telecommunications companies MTN, Cell C and rain have zero-rated the OLICO Maths Education Programme which provides puzzles and problem-solving activities, competitions, games and weekly challenges to keep learners busy, connected and engaged. This decision followed the closure of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic’s local lockdown restrictions, which compounded learning challenges even further for the notoriously under-resourced youth in some of South Africa’s largest townships. Launched in 2008, the OLICO Maths Education Programme has provided effective and increasingly popular after-school tutoring and training in Alexandra, Diepsloot, Bosmont, Dunoon and Heideveld, and partners using OLICO maths content are working in Soweto, Ivory Park, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and deep-rural Easte...
