If schools are to become digitally transformed public-private push is vital
By Nompumelelo Mokou
According to the Department of Basic Education, the curricula for new subjects such as coding and robotics are being finalised for inclusion into the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS).
The move to pilot a host of ‘next-gen’ subjects seeks to better equip youth with a reimagined skill set suited for the 21st century. As of May 2023, the subjects are being piloted at 18 schools nationwide – two in each province. The rollout for full-scale implementation of coding and robotics into the school curriculum for Grades 4 to 6 and Grade 8 is planned for 2024, with Grade 9s to follow suit in 2025.
But is our country’s connectivity up to scratch in terms of digital infrastructure to support this rollout? Research suggests that accelerated adoption of digital technologies could triple South Africa’s productivity growth, resulting in a net gain of up to 1.2 million jobs in South Africa by 2030. But this digital revolution can only be of benefit if the country has a robust digital ecosystem – and for this ecosystem to exist, there has to be digital infrastructure. Unfortunately, this is simply not a South African reality for millions of learners.
Only one-third of public schools have any form of internet access, 75% don’t have access to a library or computer centre, and 84% have no internet for teaching or learning purposes. More than 3 500 do not even have reliable electricity. How can we even begin to hope of a digitally transformed future for our youth if basic electricity is still in question?
Building a bridge over the digital divide
Basic Education minister Angie Motshekga announced in March 2023 that government has taken action to fast-track the provision of school infrastructure in terms of crumbling and decrepit classrooms that are often unsafe for learners, lack of basic sanitation and the high prevalence of unlawful pit toilets, lack of desks, chairs, textbooks and other equipment, massive overcrowding and teachers who are not properly equipped as educators. While physical infrastructure is certainly a crisis that needs urgent attention within education, technology infrastructure is just as critical.
While there are plans for the department to support schools and allow learner participation and success in the new coding and robotics subjects, technology infrastructure challenges could prove to be a bottle neck to any major advancements in digital development.
Perhaps it is time for the private sector, in particular South African tech firms, to step into the circle and invest in initiatives that complement the government’s efforts to bridge the digital divide.
An example of where the private and public sector could tackle challenges together would be the development of the South African National Broadband Plan, which seeks to ensure all citizens have access to high-speed internet connectivity by 2030.
While this is a government-led initiative, it opens the floor to the telecoms sector by encouraging private investment in telecoms infrastructure. And this is not the only example – the government has also launched the South African Connect Initiative, which seeks to provide affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to all schools, hospitals and government offices in the country by 2025. There are a number of measures being put in place, but they need the support of those who have the ways and the means at their disposal to accelerate development.
The most important thing to remember is that making improvements in technology infrastructure in the education sector is not an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ scenario that creates a divide between the private and public sectors. Any development opportunities must be seen as the chance to collaborate to build a better society at the end of the day.
Businesses play a pivotal role in influencing future skills. As the companies that are actually hiring the skills, shouldn’t we all be playing a much more collaborative and active role in ensuring that we are giving the next generation the opportunity to learn those skills?
Nompumelelo Mokou is the managing director: Southern Africa at Dimension Data.
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