Photo by: Bloomberg
Telecommunications giant Vodacom on Monday unveiled its Department of Basic Education-endorsed learning platform giving students, teachers and parents unlimited access to education content.
Speaking at a breakfast launch event that also honoured South Africa’s top matriculants of 2014, Vodacom group chief officer for corporate affairs Maya Makanjee explained that the newly launched Vodacom e-school enabled high school learners to read information online and download education content relevant to their particular grade, with the data used free of charge to Vodacom customers.
Standard data rates would apply for those logging into the portal using the services of other mobile operators.
The Web-based curriculums for grades 10 to 12 were accessible from a cellphone, tablet or laptop as of Monday, while the curriculums for grades 8 and 9 would be made available within the next few weeks.
“We know that many learners in our country often do not have access to learning material, which makes excelling at school more difficult,” Makanjee said.
The platform would provide access to the current educational syllabus, through text and video, providing an opportunity for students to self-learn, self-assess and complete online tests.
“Learners can now complete lessons from their school syllabus, to help them improve their marks. They can also track their progress and see how they are performing compared to other students in a fun, easy and interactive way,” Makanjee noted.
Rewards, such as Vodacom SMS and data bundles, could also be earned as the learner progressed through the lessons.