Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) has commended the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for launching a free-to-air television initiative called Woza Matrics.
The initiative will assist Grade 12s with their preparation for final exams in November after the government opted to temporarily close schools owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, which gave rise to a push for schooling on online platforms.
BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso says Covid-19 has affected the education system in numerous and far-reaching ways that "we are only just beginning to understand".
“Despite some schools having moved classes online, millions of children still do not have access to computers, phones or the Internet and this broadcasting intervention is a great relief to those who are less fortunate,” she states.
The Woza Matric campaign will run for 12 weeks, starting on September 1, and will be broadcast on SABC 3, all DStv packages and on Openview (Channel 122) from 8:00 to 10:00 and 13:00 to 15:00 every day.
It will also be available for free on the DStv Catch Up application.
The DBE has said the 12-week Woza Matric campaign will support Grade 12 learners in the build-up to their final matric exams by “providing quality educational content”.
Mavuso points out that education is one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital.
“Investments in education – from preschool through to higher education – have high returns. Helping young people develop these skills makes economic sense.
"The ‘new normal’ in the pandemic era has challenged the long-standing educational models and forced DBE to rethink how to educate learners away from the classrooms,” she notes.
“With the Fourth Industrial Revolution upon us, a disruptive crisis such as Covid-19 may serve as an opportune moment for South African schools to properly prepare learners with the right tools and innovative solutions to today’s and tomorrow's problems facing society.
“This can therefore help define what learning should look like during the pandemic and beyond,” concludes Mavuso.