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Education Southern Africa | September 2014 1

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editor’s note

Being new to an Education-specific publication, I took some time during the past two weeks to read up on the state of education, the industry as a whole and the technology employed in the quest to fill young minds with the knowledge that will ready them for the rest of their lives.

I found myself awed, firstly by the many efforts being made by corporates and NGO’s to uplift the education system, with millions of rands being poured into numerous CSI projects to the benefit of education across the country. I was particularly impressed to see that these project do not only consist of academic projects, but that ways of developing the thinking skills of pupils using MiniChess, for example, is being addressed as well.

I also was pleasantly surprised by country-wide efforts to promote e-learning and education technology in classrooms. One of the biggest criticisms of the education system in South Africa in the past was that much of the material taught to pupils was, in fact, useless information.

Let’s face it; a large percentage of pupils enrolled at high school will never reach Matric. Of those who do, a very small minority will go on to get a tertiary education. Most pupils opt to leave school and brave the job market, where they are more often than not found lacking due to the fact

that they do not possess knowledge or skills that are useful to potential employers.

There is barely an industry left in which some level of computer literacy is not preferred or even required. Pupils, even those who do not complete Matric, benefit from e-learning in that they will, by the time that they leave school, possess practical skills that are useful to employers.

I remember when I started my first job so many years ago, how intimidated I was by the huge PC adorning my desk. The next week or so spent trying to master the device was pure agony.

Now with cellular and tablet technologies taking over the world and the workplace, our children will need to master these technologies in order to be successful, or even just have a chance, in an already very competitive job market and e-learning will ensure this.

Obviously there are many challenges to overcome before e-learning in every school can become a reality. Issues of school infrastructure, funding and teacher training to name a few stand in the way, but these can, and I believe, will, be overcome.

Johan MeyerEditor

Education Southern Africa is now available online Be sure to visit Education Southern Africa at www.edusamag.co.za

Technology is the future of education

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contentsSeptember 2014 | Volume 8 Number 9

Advertisers in this issueAdvertiser PageIntel Education OFC(Outside front cover)

Macmillan IFC(Inside front cover)

Somerset Educational 2Intel Education 4/5University of Pretoria 7Mindset Learn 8Kwikspace 9Pearson 11Reboni Furniture Group 13Libwin Library Systems 14Legal Wise 15Permoseal 19Computers 4 Kids 21Malnor Creative 23Rand Plastics 26Dial A Nerd 27UC-Wireless 28Smartlabs 29Communica 32Boston City Campus IBC(Inside back cover)

Pearson OBC(Outside back cover)

Philosophies, policies and plansEducation policy key to transforming Africa .........................................6A philosophy of investing in education ....................................8

Special focusPartnerships to improve performance at KZN schools ..........................10National Accounting Olimpiad Awards .................................. 12Using chess to teach maths, science and life skills .............................16New library for Parktown Public School ......................................18Skills development initiatives in Alexandra .................................19

Sports ParadeThe effects of collaborations on sports development ..............................20 Tertiary focusUJ Solar Team could change the world ........................................22

e-learning & ICTOne Laptop Per Child’s first project in South Africa ..............................24Why the future of learning lies in the cloud ........................................25Samsung brings e-learning to the big screen.......................................26Paperless classrooms in Gauteng ...30Enabling electronics for an emerging continent ...................................32

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6 September 2014 | Education Southern Africa

It’s widely accepted that a sound education is the cornerstone of a better future. This applies as much to individuals as it does to countries and, indeed, entire continents. Education is, in many ways, the lifeblood of any economy. It’s the only sustainable way to address inequality, overcome poverty and uplift society. For anyone that accepts this as fact, the next statement is

bound to be a very bitter pill to swallow.

There are an estimated 600 million people in Africa who still need education!

Due to South Africa’s relatively advanced economy and stable political environment, many of these people are looking to this country to obtain the education they need. However, as has become patently clear in recent years, South Africa is not currently in a position to meet the education requirements of many of its own citizens. Clearly, education on our continent is in something of a crisis; and action is needed quickly to prevent it taking on catastrophic proportions, thereby making it impossible for Africa to realise the potential is has to become a global economic powerhouse.

The typical knee-jerk reaction to any country, or continent’s education crisis is to suggest that more money needs to be thrown at it. While this might deliver a measure of change for a developing economy, it’s simply not a viable solution. Using the common assumption that tertiary education accounts for approximately 1% of total education needs, Africa currently has 60 million people that need university or

post-matric education. So, if the money was available and the continent started building tertiary learning institutions today, it would probably take around 200 years for there to be enough institutions available – and that’s just to meet the current demand.

So what’s the solution? The simple answer is that there isn’t a simple solution. But as a starting point, Africa needs to start seriously thinking about new ways to educate its people.

Ultimately a more holistic approach is required; one in which the provision of education is inextricably linked to, and closely aligned with, the most appropriate and fastest route to economic advancement and development.

The economic success of the world’s developed nations is proof of this basic requirement. Industrial and economic growth can only be fully achieved when you have an educated workforce. Of course this is something of a ‘chicken and egg’ debacle, because an educated workforce is often only achievable when you have economic investment into education by industry.

At the same time, to deliver both of these interconnected social development cornerstones, a fundamental change is required in the way that learning institutions – particularly in the tertiary environment – see themselves. They can no longer consider themselves to be places where knowledge is acquired and stored (although knowledge acquisition will

philosophies

policies & plans

Education policy key to transforming AfricaBy Riaan Steenberg; Director of Global Operations: Regenesys


always be a vital part of what they do). Instead, they need to become places where learning is effectively and, if sustainable, freely shared for the long-term benefit of industry and society as a whole.

There are countries where the effectiveness of such education-driven economic development is clearly evident. Singapore is a case in point. When that country first recognised the role that education could play in driving economic growth, it undertook to transform its education system. This was approached from the point of view of identifying national economic and social priorities and then systematically creating specific education opportunities that would result in a workforce that could help them meet those priorities and develop as a nation.

In South Africa, there is a general awareness of the need to link education to economic development in this way, but this awareness is yet to translate into definitive action. In order for that to happen, the responsibility for education needs to shift from government and a few private learning institutions to all economic stakeholders.

Rather than bemoaning the skills shortages, industry needs to take deliberate and definitive action to address it. Synergies between the government, business and education sectors need to be aggressively explored and acted upon.

As a nation and, indeed, as a continent, we need to recognise the massive potential for vast economic growth that could be unlocked if our continent had access to another 600 million educated, knowledgeable and entrepreneurial individuals. Then we need to stop wishing that were the case and take action to make it so.

The future of our continent depends on it. l

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The belief in education as a mechanism for upliftment in South Africa is the motivation behind the Paarl Media Bursary Trust, a trust that has benefited 70 promising students over the past six years.

Fourteen hopeful and committed young people will benefit from this trust in 2014. Among these

talented students is 20-year-old, second year Industrial Design student Lizanne Burger. “Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is one of the only places in the country that offers my course and it is not cheap,” says Burger.

After applying for a student loan which proved insufficient to meet the financial expenses of the course, Burger turned to corporates like Paarl Media to make her dream of becoming a 3D designer come true. “This will mean that I no longer have to work on weekends and can dedicate my full attention to my course work,” says Burger.

3D design forms an integral part of the 3D printing process, whereby materials are manufactured by an additive rather than through traditional subtractive processes.

“Given our position as a committed print industry player, we saw this as a fitting investment into the future of the industry,” says Nico Grobbelaar, executive director of human resources at Paarl Media.

This year, of the 14 bursaries awarded by the trust, the majority of recipients were female and in fields of study outside the print industry. “This trust exists to create opportunities for committed learners with bright futures, not only for those with a bright future in print,” says Grobbelaar.

Mark Fowler, a youth development volunteer, has also been awarded a bursary to study International Relations at the University of Stellenbosch. “I have seen the positive results when investing in other people’s lives and I am grateful for the investment that Paarl Media is willing to make in mine,” says Fowler.

Fowler, who grew up in Paarl and graduated from Paarl Gymnasium in 2009, has worked with young people from all walks of life, including a trip to Norway where he was part of an exchange programme for promising South African students.

“Investing in young people is not only an investment into a student’s future but also an investment for the betterment of the whole community in which they live. The principle of helping people who help others is something ingrained in the ethos of Paarl Media. It is evident in the work of the Paarl Media Academy located in Paarl, which is focused on harnessing the future leaders of the print industry,” concludes Grobbelaar. l

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KZN Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni launched Jika iMfundo at the Esikhaweni campus of Umfolozi College on 19 August. The programme aims to improve learning outcomes across all 670 schools in the uThungulu district in KwaZulu-Natal.

Building on the slogan, ‘What I do Matters’, Jika iMfundo seeks to mobilise all role-players to contribute to getting our schools to work better.

South Africa’s business sector has shown increasing interest in supporting an integrated education intervention that comprises a cost-effective, sustainable, on-scale model for school improvements. Jika iMfundo, funded both by the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, is the result of a partnership between South Africa’s government, business, labour and civil society.

Honourable Peggy Nkonyeni, MEC for Education in KwaZulu-Natal said: “Jika iMfundo’s launch really speaks to the power of a collaborative process to address the challenges in our education system. We are accountable for the results of our learners and failure is not an option as we work towards a better future for our children.”

Jika iMfundo will initially be implemented in two districts in the province, uThungulu and Pinetown, reaching more than 1 200 schools, which is 5% of the schools in the country. The programme will be rigorously monitored so that it can be improved before being implemented across the remaining 10 districts of KwaZulu-Natal and will focus primarily on improving curriculum coverage in English, Mathematics, Science and IsiZulu.

Murphy Morobe, the chairperson of the Programme to Improve Learning Outcomes (PILO), explained that the programme being implemented in uThungulu was designed to overcome the challenges that schools face with the objective of improving performance. Morobe said: “In all our consultations with teachers and officials we have been inspired by their determination to improve learning in

schools. We need to constantly support our teachers and learners and remind them that what they do every day matters. We are working across the system, and schools will be supported as the model reduces the burden on officials through technical support, change management approaches and capacity building.”

Adding to the excitement of the launch, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and other artists joined forces with the department by producing a song that aims to encourage parents to participate in the success of their children’s education. Titled ”What I do Matters”, the song features artists such as Zwai Bala, Yvonne Chaka-Chaka, PJ Powers, iHashi Elimhlophe, Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, Ziyon of Liquideep and the choir from Imizikayifani Primary School.

The launch is a culmination of more than a year of working together in the province to develop the materials and tools that will be used by teachers to plan and track their time on task. District officials are receiving process training in change management to help them be more supportive of schools. School management teams will be offered nine training modules including leadership, planning, management practices and financial management.

“This programme will assist district officials, teachers, school management, learners and parents to improve learning by working more efficiently and smartly with the right tools in place and providing the necessary support,” explained Mary Metcalfe, stakeholder and change director at PILO.

“The endorsement and support by the South African Democratic Teacher’s Union, NATU and NAPTOSA is a crucial component of the programme’s success. We are very pleased to be working with the unions along with business and civil society to ensure that the future leaders of South Africa achieve their potential,” concluded Nkonyeni.

The launch was attended by all key players in the district – school principals, community representatives, stakeholders, department officials and labour unions. l

Public – private partnerships to improve performance at KZN schools

Thembeka Mchunu, Mayor of uThungulu Mary Metcalfe, change and stakeholder director at PILO

Peggy Nkonyeni, KZN MEC for Education

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The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), in partnership with Sage Pastel Accounting, announced in August that Rohin Jain, a learner from Selborne College in the Eastern Cape, is the National SAICA Sage Pastel Accounting Olympiad winner.

Jain scooped the first prize for being the best learner with a 94% mark and walked away with an Apple iPad. This year’s Accounting Olympiad attracted a record of 5 747 grade 11 and 12 learners from 439 schools across the country, compared with last year’s 4 465 learners from 338 schools.

“I am ecstatic, but still in shock,” said Jain. “I did not expect to win. I believe that it was my hard work and perseverance that sealed my success.” He adds that: “As a Christian I put God first, and everything else followed.”

This unassuming youngster enjoyed the exam and found it challenging. However, he prepared for it in spite of the fact that they had not yet completed the Accounting syllabus at school when he wrote the exam. “I found the www.nowican.co.za website helpful, because I had access to past question papers. These past papers helped me a lot and gave me sufficient guidance.”

The adage “no man is an island” rings true for Jain. He relied on the vision of credible role models and the support of his teacher, Mr Shane Viviers, who taught him Accountancy for the past three years.

According to Jain, “Febin Korula and Vishnu Pillay attended Selborne College and were placed first and third respectively in the Eastern Cape region in 2012. I was in awe of their achievements, and this was my source of inspiration. When things were down, they forged ahead and did not give up. Mr Viv (as he is affectionately called) taught me some important life lessons and this helped me a lot. In terms of Accounting, we are always ahead of the syllabus and I admire his style of teaching.”

“The enthusiastic participation can be attributed to the fact that more learners and educators are beginning to appreciate the impact that the Olympiad has on improving accounting skills. SAICA uses this competition to promote the chartered accountancy profession,” says Gugu Makhanya, project director for Transformation, Growth and Professional Development at SAICA.

The Olympiad, which began its life as a regional competition in Bloemfontein with long-time sponsors Sage Pastel Accounting, was expanded to a national competition in 2010. It has grown

to attract top young accountancy minds from schools across South Africa. The main objective of the Accounting Olympiad is to recognise young accounting talent and encourage interest in accountancy among high school learners.

Runners-up Kamogelo Seomane (Dendron Secondary in Limpopo province) scored 91% and third position was shared by three learners, each with a score of 88%: Pfano Nemukumbi (Patrick Ramanoo Secondary, Limpopo province); Usaamah Gardee (Middelburg Muslim High, Mpumalanga) and Akshay Rampersad (Westville Boys High, KZN province). Each of the runners-up earn cash prizes,


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National Accounting Olympiad awards

1st Place – Rohin JainSelborne College, East London

2nd Place – Kamogelo SeomaneDendron Secondary, Polokwane

3rd Place – Usaamah GardeeMiddelburg Muslim School, Middelburg

3rd Place – Pfano NemukumbiPatrick Ramaano Secondary, Polokwane

3rd Place – Akshay RampersadWestville Boys High School, Durban


while nine top-performing schools (one from each province), win desktop computers. Educators of the winning schools will each earn cash prizes.

Jain plans on a career in the field of commerce and business. He would like to study actuarial science at the University of Cape Town or at the University of the Witwatersrand, or pursue a career as a chartered accountant. “I enjoy the business world and the accounting sphere.”

He says winning the award did not come easy. “I was involved in so many activities, and I had many challenges in terms of time management. The best advice is never to slack off, because it really catches up with you. Managing a diary is how I was able to keep on top of my game.”

Apart from his studies, Jain is also involved in numerous extra-mural activities. He enjoys playing squash and is a prefect at his school. He is also chairman of their Interact Club, which drives community and environmental projects. Jain and his team are regular visitors to the children’s wards of the hospitals, especially where children without parents are housed when they are ill.

“It is rewarding to give back to poor communities and to make a difference. I encourage other youngsters to do the same. Also, learners should especially not complain

about teachers. It is about time that youngsters demonstrated some initiative and stopped relying on teachers completely.”

Joanne van der Walt, marketing manager at Sage Pastel Accounting, says: “We are delighted with the increasing number of participants and we hope to grow the competition in ensuing years. This is certainly a record and it is growing exponentially. Pastel is included in most school curriculums, so this sustainable partnership with SAICA is a perfect fit for our brand.”

The competition identifies accounting talent at school level, popularises accounting as a subject, and draws the link between accounting at school and a possible career in an accounting or business field. This is in line with SAICA’s strategy to grow the number of chartered accountants as well as transform the profession.

Van der Walt and Makhanya congratulated the learners and educators who participated in and supported the 2013 Olympiad. They challenged other schools and learners to participate in next year’s competition.

“This is not only about competing, but also about improving the quality of matric passes in the country,” says Makhanya. l

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Libwin was originally written in 1994 in response to a need identified by a local independent school for a Windows-based library automation system. The company has, over the next 20 years grown to become one of the leading companies of its kind in Africa.

With their library systems being used in over 1 400 school, college, corporate and specialised libraries all over the world, Libwin continuously empowers libraries through the development of user-friendly, international standard and quality library automation and management software.

According to Libwin’s General Manager, Robert Basson, the company strives to provide opportunities for all libraries to be automated through the use of such software. “Our aim is to develop partnerships with our users and create customer satisfaction by providing professional support, ongoing consultation and needs-orientated software development.”

Libwin fulfills all the requirements for the cataloguing of media items which includes book, non-book, physical and electronic resources. Electronic resource cataloguing is easily used for any form of electronic resource, be it a website, a document, or a multimedia file.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of Libwin is user-friendliness. All functions of the system are easily accessible, and patron and resource details can be easily edited, depending on the operator’s security level. The system does come with step-by-step instruction manuals and Libwin also offers full training on its software.

The use of barcodes for patrons as well as media items simplifies and speeds up the issuing, renewing and returning of media items. It also ensures the integrity of the circulation system and minimises mistakes.

The system allows for the capture of patron contact information, notes, expiry date options for membership control, as well as photographs. The system allows for easy viewing or printing of patron histories and the reservation of media items via either the patron record or the item record.

Email, SMS, and print reminders can be generated for items on loan, available reservations or overdue items. Circulation policy rules can be set up via simple or advanced patron

type settings, where each resource can have its own rules and borrower limits can be individually set.

The system automatically calculates due dates based on circulation policy rules, and fines for overdue items are automatically calculated with receipting options in both the circulation desk and the patron record. It keeps a full record of fines charged, receipted, or cleared, including system user information for audit purposes.

Another feature is ActiveConnect – Libwin’s Online Public Access Catalogue, which allows patrons to search the catalogue and connect with the library either within the school network or on the internet. Patrons using this system can see the status of a specific media item, view the status of their loans, make reservations, renew items on loan, or comment and rate items. ActiveConnect is a full content management system that allows libraries to build an information and knowledge portal complete with documents, links, events, and news.

Libwin also offers an array of optional ad-ons which include a fingerprint recognition module for those libraries that want to do away with membership cards, and a document digitisation module which allows users to scan documents and have them named, stored, and a basic catalogue record created for them automatically. LibwinRSS also assists libraries in cataloguing their stock, by integrating a collection of more than 24 million book records into Libwin, and optionally even book jacket images into ActiveConnect – all at a reasonable annual subscription.

As more libraries have taken over the management of LTSM and textbooks in their respective schools, Libwin launched an integrated Textbook Management module – available as part of the standard Libwin package, and at no further cost to clients. We’ll take a closer look at this textbook module next month. l


Libwin: Library & textbook automation and management software for the future

This library news is proudly brought to you by Libwin – your trusted partner in library and textbook management.

www.libwin.com – 0860 LIBWIN – 011 622 3431

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The Tsogo Sun Moves for Life Chess Programme has harnessed the vibrant and successful educational chess-based programme for young children – catalysing positive change which impacts thousands of disadvantaged foundation grade learners’ lives in the crucial areas of maths, science and life skills.

The programme is designed to develop the fundamental cognitive aspects of a child’s capacity to understand basic maths, science and life skill concepts. It has been operational in schools around the country for four years, but last year saw the programme getting a significant boost with the launch of the Tsogo Sun Moves For Life partnership.

Tsogo Sun’s investment in the national school chess programme is R10 million over three years. Launched in mid-2013, the Tsogo Sun Moves For Life programme is divided into three key elements, namely MiniChess (for Grade R to Grade 3), MasterMoves (for nine years and older), and teacher training. Currently there are more than 19 500 learners in the programme in 45 schools and 540 teachers were being trained, with even more hopefully coming on board in the future.

“The programme impacts all learners in the class, not only a few talented players,” explains Shanda Paine, Tsogo Sun Group CSI manager. “Tsogo Sun Moves For Life is part of the school timetable and lessons are conducted in the class

weekly with the focus throughout the lessons on fun activities – learning through play.”

Marisa van der Merwe, founder of the MiniChess programme, adds that the initiative’s learning process is broken down into small steps, building confidence while keeping it fun, and is in line with the skills level of the young child at that specific age. “The foundation phase element of the programme consists of four levels with each level accommodating the continual development of skills and capacity as the child grows. Young children learn well through play, especially at the foundation phase.”

Tsogo Sun Moves For Life incorporates the story of chess; the chess board and pieces and chess board games that link with visualisation and problem-solving; the basic moves; playing full chess games, using all the pieces and linking chess concepts with maths, science and life skills; ensuring that confidence and having fun is part of every lesson; learning to be a competitor; lots of practical play and working through relevant project books.

The programme is structured in such a way that teachers do not need any chess knowledge to present the material to the children, but through the basic training, and the lesson plans provided, the teacher is learning how to play and teach the game. “This leads to an increase in the number of teachers who can teach chess at a school and often means that new chess enthusiasts are born,” says Van der Merwe.

Using chess to teach science, maths and life skills to kids


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In 2012 Van der Merwe won the prestigious Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award in the Educators category for the strong contribution that MiniChess is making to the foundation phase education of a total of about 50 000 learners in 170 schools around the country.

Vusi Dlamini, Group HR director for Tsogo Sun, says that chess was selected for the Tsogo Sun corporate social investment programme for various reasons associated with the proven benefits of chess to learners, as well as the fact that chess is listed among the government’s top 16 priority sporting codes for inclusion at school level. “Our initiatives are designed to comply with government’s strategy and objectives within the school system to ensure that we contribute to the overall development of learners.”

The programme, he says, is particularly valuable as it represents a significant investment in young children’s lives, which is extremely important in South Africa’s education process.

Together with the launch of the Tsogo Sun Moves For Life initiative, a study has been initiated by the University of Johannesburg specifically on the broad-based impact of MiniChess on learners and teachers, which is using a control group and a study group to determine the results, as well as the Department of Education’s Annual National Assessment (ANA) results.

Over the years, the chess programme has produced excellent results, with reports from teachers, parents and learners commending the programme for its various advantages. The BJ Bhejane Primary School in the Empangeni district of KwaZulu-Natal wrote to Van der Merwe, acknowledging her as a ‘great thinker of our time’ and listing the benefits that the programme has brought to the school as improved academic performance for both learners and educators, an increase in learner enrolment, changing the language of learning and teaching from Zulu to English, networking with other schools in the area and being a positive example to them.

Zamintuthoko Primary School in Mamelodi West in Gauteng acknowledged that the positive outputs from the programme include a greater interest and improvement in maths and English; a growing maturity among the learners in problem solving; an increase in confidence levels; and an improvement in social skills.

School readiness is often a problem, particularly in disadvantaged communities, and chess is making a difference. “When youngsters start school without being school ready, they don’t get the full benefit from the schooling. The Tsogo Sun Moves For Life programme positively impacts school readiness.”

A pilot study to determine the impact of MiniChess on school readiness in an informal settlement in South Africa by Joreta Parsons from the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Pretoria, established that learners in the experimental group significantly increased their performance in relation to the control group.

“This means that the learners in the control group who did not take part in the programme, showed no significant increase in ability over this period of time, despite the fact that they attended pre-school with the experimental group. The MiniChess element of the programme proved to be a reputable instrument to increase the performance of early childhood learners by means of an instrument that is based on play. Learners become actively involved in the process.” The MiniChess programme presents a solution to the need for learners in disadvantaged areas to enhance their performance and be school ready.

“For Tsogo Sun to take such a long-term and bold step shows a full commitment to deal with the real education issues in this country,” says Van der Merwe. “We recognise their investment in early childhood development which will be felt in later years by the children, their communities, and the country as a whole, as a well thought through strategic decision.” l

Using chess to teach science, maths and life skills to kids


The Parktown Public School was abuzz with excitement recently as KPMG, in conjunction with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, launched a library for the school through their KPMG Family For Literacy (KFFL) initiative. This primary school on the outskirts of Hillbrow, services a hugely disadvantaged community and has over

800 pupils. The library launch was the culmination of a collective effort by KPMG staff and their families for Mandela Day this year.

KPMG and its staff members bought and donated over 8 000 new and used foundation phase books to start the library.

Chairman of the KPMG Foundation in South Africa, Yunus Suleman, officially opened the library, reiterating the firm’s commitment to promoting education. “KPMG is committed to making a difference in the communities in which we operate and KFFL is a key initiative for our Foundation because education is a priority in our citizenship efforts,” said Suleman.

Representing the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Luvuyo Mandela, great-grandson of Nelson Mandela, thanked KPMG for its vision and support of the school. He encouraged the children to cultivate a love for learning and commended the teachers at the school for inspiring learners.

“Teachers are important, reading is important. You must take guidance from your teachers but most of all, you must strive to better yourselves because your actions today will make your parents proud in the future,” said Mandela.

Octavia Sithole, representing the Department of Basic Education, spoke passionately to the students about the value that the library will bring to their lives. “Whatever challenges you face, whether you live in a back-room or a

shack, don’t let your circumstances determine who you are and what you can achieve,” encouraged Sithole.

She also congratulated KPMG and the Nelson Mandela Foundation for joining the fight to improve literacy in South Africa. Quoting a Zulu proverb Sithole said: “Indlovu ihlaselwa ngabaningi” (it takes many people to bring down an elephant). Government cannot do it alone but together we can do more.”

KFFL is a global KPMG initiative, driven by spouses of the KPMG directors. The programme is aimed at fighting the challenge of childhood illiteracy across the globe. The KFFL includes more than philanthropy. It sends volunteers into communities to complement corporate giving at grass-roots level. As part of the programme, the volunteers read to children, organise book drives and fundraising events, deliver books to schools, and more. Participation is open to all members of the KPMG family, making the firm’s contributions as extensive as possible. The initiative mobilises the KPMG family and creates a sense of citizenship amongst the KPMG community. The creation of this library is a demonstration of KPMG’s purpose to make a meaningful difference in our communities and hopefully to help enable future opportunities for the learners at Parktown Public School.

Speaking on behalf of KFFL via a video link, Beth Veihmeyer, spouse to KPMG’s Global Chairman, said: “We wanted to harness the energy of the KPMG family to make a meaningful impact on the lives of children in our communities and it is encouraging to see that the programme has had global impact.”

In addition to launching the library, KFFL will further donate more books to Salvazione Christian School and Piet van Vuuren Primary School in Brixton. l


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New library for Parktown Public School

From left: Mbongeni Mtungwa, school principal; Luvuyo Mandela, Madiba’s great-grandson; Yunus Suleman, KPMG Foundation chairman and Gavin de Lange, KPMG director

KPMG Foundation chairman Yunus Suleman reads to the pupils of Parktown Public School at the library launch

South African law firm Webber Wentzel has enabled local NGO Afrika Tikkun to extend its skills development programme called "Career Readiness" to the Alexandra community.

Speaking about the graduation ceremony of 71 students which took place on 20 August at the Phutaditjaba Community Centre in

Alexandra, Themba Mdlalose, CSI manager at Webber Wentzel, said: “The Afrika Tikkun Readiness Programme began in Johannesburg 18 months ago and is designed to give matriculants between the ages of 18 and 35 the confidence and skills they need to enter the job market and secure employment. We continue to support the programme in Gauteng because we believe that it is important to contribute to the communities within which we operate.”

South Africa has one of the lowest levels of entrepreneurship in the world with entrepreneurs contributing around 35% of GDP compared with 60% in countries like India and Brazil.

According to statistics released in May 2014 by Statistics South Africa, unemployment in South Africa has risen significantly over the past six years. The unemployment rate among youth aged 15 to 34 increased from 32,7% to 36,1% between 2008 and 2014.

Tracey Kotzen, Afrika Tikkun’s training and development national programmes manager, said: “The high rate of unemployment can also be attributed to the fact that the majority of the youth lack basic skills for employment. This programme focuses on empowering the next generation of South Africans through tangible skills and ultimately to employment.”

This programme has so far empowered over 600 students in South Africa.

One of the graduates from the Career Readiness Programme, Busisiwe Buso, said: “Through this programme,

I have learnt different skills such as how to start my own business, how to compile my own business plan and write my own curriculum vitae as well as what to expect in a job interview. It has been an eye opener for me and it is because of this programme that I now have a job as an administrator PA.”

“We are very grateful to Webber Wentzel for their continued support. It is as a result of their generous contribution that we have been able to roll out this programme," says Kotzen. l

Skills development initiatives in Alexandra

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Collaborations and partnerships are an excellent model for development as they tend to deliver much more than would otherwise have been possible. It is true that brands would prefer to own a project, but that is often restrictive, especially with budgets being stretched

to the limit. Collaborations – between corporates, government, SMMEs, or even individual trailblazers – offer the perfect opportunity to pool resources with like-minded organisations and work together for collective change, sharing the kudos that is earned.

Tsogo Sun’s Sports Academy forms part of the group’s corporate social investment (CSI) programme and strives to harness the power of collaborations in the interest of doing more – and focusing on what we each do well.

Each of our partners has a different skill to bring to the table. Government is a vital collaborative partner as they are key drivers in the areas where we are active in our sports development programmes. Both the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Sport and Recreation have worked with us, encouraged us, and supported our efforts to bring sport into disadvantaged schools. Our programmes align closely with the Department of Sport and Recreation’s vision of creating ‘an active and winning nation’ and its primary focus of providing opportunities for all South Africans to participate in sport. Together we play a pivotal role in elevating sport as part of the extra-curriculum in schools.

According to Dr Peter Skosana, District Director of Gauteng West from the Gauteng Department of Education, “Tsogo Sun’s Sports Programme is the single most comprehensive development programme on the West Rand. Through the logistic support given to schools it creates an enabling environment for participation. Learners not only benefit in terms of physical activity, but are being groomed as responsible citizens through the life skills component. Schools, parents and communities alike, are all benefitting

from the positive spin-offs that the programme is offering. The programme contributes immensely towards mass participation and given the financial resources, the Department of Education would replicate this model in all other areas of the Gauteng West district.”

A vital part of sports development is learning life skills – our Sports Academy places strong emphasis on this aspect. However, we do not claim to be the experts in all regards and acknowledge the value of working with other companies and individuals who can contribute a range of valuable teaching and facilitating on effectively managing decisions and choices in life. This, together with the sports training, goes a long way to providing holistic input into young lives.

We also work with the likes of the South African Football Association (SAFA) in our Soccer Academy as they are the experts on aspects such as accreditation according to local and international standards.

As long as there are ideas and the will to see them come to fruition, there is tremendous scope for further collaboration in any development projects in this country, but from our point of view, in sports development.

Any company, department, or individual can play a role in contributing to a better future for our youngsters. Just be creative and look at the specialised skills that you or your company have to offer. Often it’s not about money; it’s about getting involved. Barbara Holtmann notes, “Systemic change happens when a project has a team strong enough to embrace the complexity of a collective challenge and work together, with members focusing in a way that reflects their individual strengths, to catalyse transformation. Partnership across sectors isn't easy, as different organisations have varied cultures, methodologies and often expect a different pace of delivery. It requires resilience and commitment to building relationships and essentially trust – which often takes time. But without it, any intervention, no matter how well-intended or even how skilful, will deliver less than its potential when matched with the contributions of others.” l

The effects of collaborations on sports development

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by Vusi Dlamini, Tsogo Sun Group HR Director

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For a moment, think about the impact of technologies in your life. Think about the convergence of communications and computing power and how this is changing our lives today? For a moment filter the irritation of email spam and think about how technology today contributes positively towards humanity. In an

extreme, think about our post-emergency response.

We therefore need to imagine a world with more engineers, more engineering technologists, and more professionals of the built environment.

Ilanga II, the prototype solar energy vehicle of the University of Johannesburg’s Solar Team set to compete in the 2014 Sasol Solar Challenge was unveiled on Tuesday 5 August, at the UJ Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.

UJ Solar Team spokesperson and Project Manager, Warren Hurter, who has been part of the UJ Solar Team since they started as undergraduates in 2011, said the new Ilanga II is one of the most advanced solar powered vehicles produced by University of Johannesburg (UJ) students and industry partners to date. “We are more than ready to take on our international and local competitors with this vehicle which echoes values of aerodynamic success and high performance. In short, Ilanga II is light and it is fast.”

The UJ Solar project is the flagship project of the UJ Energy Movement and promotes the study of alternative energy, energy management and sustainable engineering design through the bi-yearly conceptualisation and construction of their solar powered vehicles which participate in international races annually. The project, which is designed to assist students in becoming industry ready by

working with multidisciplinary teams and industry partners, is managed by students from design concept to the final product.

Says Mechanical Engineering Science academic and programme manager, Nickey Janse van Rensburg: “The project creates an environment where we can connect research with industry in such a way that we add value and create a mutual benefit for the university and our industry partners. It is really inspiring to work so closely with industry, seeing all the amazing engineering projects that are out there. I’d like to think that we’ve also created an opportunity where we bring new challenges and energy to the industry, creating a bit of excitement as we go.”

In anticipation of the unveiling of Ilanga II and in the build up to the Sasol Solar Challenge next month, students across the university have joined the fan club – the UJ Solar Society. The society creates an opportunity for a wider audience to participate in the programme.

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) Executive Dean, Prof Saurabh Sinha, said: “The Faculty fully supports the UJ Solar Team’s proactive participation and we look forward to seeing how they perform in the upcoming Sasol Solar Challenge, as we are confident that the new design and innovative engineering will outdrive our international and provincial competitors in the endurance challenge.

“As an institution of higher learning we are also focused on commercialising patents through Resolution Circle, UJ’s specialised technology research and development centre. We strongly believe and have proven that energy innovation can result in technology development, technical education,

UJ Solar team could change the world

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The UJ Solar Team

commercialisation, increase energy efficiency and a decrease in our carbon footprint.”

From the point of engineering education, the Ilanga II demonstrates how well a technical discipline is accepted, and in the context of universities, how deeply it is integrated into curriculum.

Through Ilanga II, or the UJ Solar Car, innovation is fostered through technologies and strategic thinking. As Mike Porter, Harvard Business School professor, would say: “One approaches innovation in its broadest sense.”

Prof Willem Clarke, CEO of Resolution Circle, said: “In establishing Resolution Circle, a commercial technology platform was created that can act as a supporting environment for technology-based competitions. When one includes the IntelliLab media production capabilities, the potential to win and extract the maximum marketing value increases exponentially.

“Resolution Circle provides industry standard facilities, but can also act as an integration platform between faculties, departments and research groups. It is organised around a

project infrastructure, which provides project management functionality and technical expertise.”

Interesting facts on building Ilanga IISix months have been dedicated purely to the design, with four to six months focused on manufacture and assembly.

The vehicle will then undergo rigorous testing to ensure driver handling and safety.

The car will have a maximum speed of 130 km/h, with an average target speed of 75 km/h when purely powered by lithium-ion batteries.

The tyres have been specifically designed taking the route into consideration and the four relay drivers will also undergo advanced driver training. l

UJ Solar team could change the world


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The Ilanga II Set to break records

Follow the storyVisit the UJ Solar Car on: www.ujsolar.co.zaFacebook: https: www.facebook.com/UJSolarCarTwitter: @UJSolarCarSasol Solar challenge website: www.solarchallenge.org.za

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One Laptop Per Child’s first project in South Africa

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The MoneyGram Foundation and the One Laptop Per Child Foundation (OLPC) recently hosted a donation event at the Masibambane Junior Primary School in Orange Farm to distribute 250 tablets to students attending the school.

The event is meant to recognise and celebrate the Masibambane students as the first

South African recipients of the OLPC’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Learning Environment programme.

The MoneyGram Foundation’s grant facilitates the initiation of the OLPC pilot programme and provides access to technology to the Masibambane School as a way to support and supplement its existing curriculum. This XO tablet-based programme is intended to combat social exclusion and to encourage individual empowerment amongst student users.

“The MoneyGram Foundation is a strong advocate for education worldwide and focuses on high-impact initiatives such as this one,” said Anton Luttig, regional director for South and East Africa at MoneyGram.

“We were especially intrigued and excited by the idea that each one of the 250 tablets distributed here today will be

used and reused by so many deserving students, maximising the reach and impact of the donation.”

The XO tablet that the OLPC Masibambane Learning Environment programme is centered on was developed by America’s prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and features a 7,5 inch optical multi-touch display screen. It is loaded with an array of e-learning software that both enables and tracks each child’s educational progress.

“The fact that Masibambane itself developed an overarching ICT development plan for learners and teachers is a key reason why we were attracted to this particular school,” said Mark Kaplan, executive chairman of OLPC South Africa Foundation. “As of now, only a little over 6 000 of South Africa’s more than 25 000 schools are ICT enabled. If we are to conquer South Africa’s growing digital divide, it is vital that more South African schools and their surrounding communities develop similar ICT educational plans and partner with sponsors like the MoneyGram Foundation and OPLC to bring that plan into action.”

Along with Anton Luttig and Mark Kaplan, other attendees of the Masibambane donation event included Gabriel Wilson, senior marketing manager of South and East Africa at MoneyGram, Peter Mureu, marketing manager of South and East Africa, and other representatives of MoneyGram International and OLPC organisations – along with members of the local community, the Department of Basic Education, and technical advisor Pendula ICT.

OPLC is the world’s foremost non-profit organization dedicated to offering children in developing countries access to affordable laptops and tablets. OLPC strives to provide children worldwide with rugged, low-cost, low-power, Linux-based, connected XO laptops. OLPC has designed hardware, content and software for collaborative and self-empowered learning. The laptops have wireless broadband so each laptop can talk to its nearest neighbours, creating a local area network for students and their teachers. l

From left: Anton Luttig, regional director for South and East Africa at MoneyGram; Pieter Steyn, Headmaster of Masibambane College and Mark Kaplan, executive Director of One Laptop per Child South Africa

We’re often told that Africa is the world’s next great economic growth success story. But the harsh reality is that the continent first has to overcome the twin challenges of rising youth unemployment and

chronic skills shortages – and right now, there just aren’t enough jobs, or qualified young people to fill them.

The challenges are vast and varied. We have literally millions of young people crying out for skills, education and jobs – but we don’t have enough schools or resources to teach them. Our current curricula battle to keep pace with the changing demands of the modern world and the modern workplace. Prospective students often live in remote areas, where the buses and trains don’t necessarily run.

Existing efforts just aren’t doing enough to make a real dent in the problem. There are numerous initiatives across the continent to put technology in schools and universities, and to create skills among our young people, but we are going to need to step these efforts up exponentially in the next couple of years if we’re going to see meaningful skills development and employment across the continent.

There’s no silver bullet that will miraculously fix all of these issues. But there is one technology that can make a massive difference here and now: cloud computing. It’s already taking over the world of business. Now it’s time to let cloud computing loose on our educational systems.

On a continent like ours, cloud-based eLearning is not only convenient, it is a necessity. It meets numerous challenges at once: it has the ability to meet Africa’s overwhelming demand for inexpensive, high-quality training. It can reach millions of people at once. It is not dependent on a specific type of device, and does not require people to travel. It allows teachers to update curricula in real time to reflect modern business needs and demands. Most of all, it allows students to collaborate with each other to build up their understanding and enrich their learning experience.

In fact, I predict that cloud-based technology will be vital to meet the learning needs of the next generation of young African workers, who will be far more intuitively tech-savvy than previous generations. The future of learning will include video game learning, customised testing and simulated learning environments that prepare people for the world of work.

For us at SAP, the future of training lies in massive open online courses (MOOC)-style online learning rooms. In fact, MOOC-style learning is the cornerstone of our SAP Learning Hub for students, which is a cloud-based offering designed for students to incorporate the study of SAP solutions into university coursework.

As students across Africa are already discovering, the student edition of SAP Learning Hub offers a comprehensive library of electronic content for self-study covering close to 150 SAP solutions. It also includes access to e-learning courses, handbooks and social collaboration features and interactive learning rooms that meet the learning needs and habits of today’s students.

Learning SAP is not only something for wannabe technology professionals. Most of the big companies in the world run SAP software, and SAP knowledge is a great way to prepare for more than 40 job roles, including analyst roles, sales and marketing, HR, programming, procurement, and system administrator. Students who emerge from tertiary education with a certification in an appropriate technology have a distinct competitive advantage in today’s global job market.

The bigger point is that SAP Learning Hub represents a significant evolution in how training and education are delivered – and this can act as a roadmap for the entire continent. The online availability of top-tier educational content, and the ability to interact with peers and process experts, means we’re not just training the next generation of professionals. We’re also making sure that they’re employable and employed. That’s how we’ll make a real difference. l

One Laptop Per Child’s first project in South Africa

Why the future of learning lies in the cloud

ICTe-learning &

By Bernadine Jeffrey, Education Channel Manager at SAP Africa


Samsung Electronics Africa will, for the fourth consecutive year, rally behind the eduCate initiative, a nationwide matric Maths and Science revision campaign. eduCate, which will run for 10 consecutive weeks, assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds with matric revision through Maths and

Science tutoring at cinemas throughout the country, in the run-up to the matric exams. To date, more than 156 000 seats have been occupied by aspiring grade 12 learners wishing to improve their chances of qualifying for study at tertiary institutions.

Speaking at the launch event in August, Kea’ Modimoeng, Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship Manager for Samsung Electronics Africa, said: “SA’s skills shortages are widely acknowledged as a key factor hindering the achievement of the country’s targeted economic growth. The reasons for this skills shortage are numerous, complex and often disputed. But what is no longer in dispute is that an increased focus on Maths and Science studies is to the country’s advantage.”

Educational initiatives are at the heart of Samsung’s business. Since 2011, the company has invested millions in six of its Solar-Powered Internet Schools (SPIS) in South Africa, with the seventh planned for Mahlenga Secondary School in the North West province – to be launched this month. Other initiatives include the Samsung-designed e-Learning Centres, which aim to boost educators’ skills

and knowledge, and the thriving Samsung Engineering Academy, which placed 100% of its learners into skilled positions. eduCate is the latest initiative to benefit from Samsung’s commitment to education in the form of matric revision booklets.

“Our core business relies heavily on being able to access skilled people in the engineering and technological fields — so improving Maths and Science performance at schools in the communities in which we operate is a rational solution, and one that works towards alleviating the national skills crisis,” adds Modimoeng.

The eduCate initiative comprises revision sessions that are broadcast simultaneously to a network of 14 digitised cinemas across the country. Each of the 10 on-screen lessons are complemented by a workbook/toolkit. The initiative continues to expand year on year and, for the first time, the project will run in all nine provinces.

The sessions are facilitated by subject matter specialists at each cinema, who interact with learners on the educational content. They also answer any questions the learners may have. The sessions and content are designed to engage and entertain learners as they study.

“Samsung Electronics Africa is aware of the importance of expanding the skills pool. Not only is this important to our business, our partners, our customers, and the communities in which employees live, but it is also crucial to the global standing of the South African economy.” l


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Samsung brings e-learning to the big screen

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Our previous articles have always highlighted that the first critical step to implementing an effective e-Learning platform is the installation of a fast, seamless enterprise-grade high density Wi-Fi solution. So what is the next step?

BUDGET for it! Most schools are currently preparing their budgets. The forecasting of e-Learning costs is becoming a key factor and many SGB’s are being requested to include this for 2015. There is massive growth as the digital divide narrows and the implementation of e-Learning transforms from a “nice-to-have” commodity to a “soon-or-now-have-to-have” solution that schools require, in order to keep up with changing education trends and demands.

This watershed explosion of technology in education might result in educational facilities that are late adopters to be prejudiced by parents and learners who are selecting institutions that are fore-runners in adopting e-Learning & technology as a key driver to school/university selection. Our advice to educational institutions is to not take “short cuts” or waste money on inferior Wi-Fi solutions. We are encountering an increasing number of schools that have

“wasted” precious budgets on inferior Wi-Fi solutions that cannot meet the demands of e-Learning, let alone fulfil the expectations of high density enterprise Wi-Fi. Mistakes made through ignorance and lack of understanding of the importance of high density Wi-Fi within the e-Learning “eco-system” can be avoided and precious budget resources can be allocated more wisely to meet the ever challenging and delicate balancing act required for school budgets.

UC-Wireless has a consultative approach in educating schools about the various cost factors within e-Learning while in the process, affording total clarity and flexibility pertaining to the costs of an enterprise high density Wi-Fi infra-structure, thereby enabling educational institutions to make informed decisions. Our message to schools is to deal with credible, ethical solution partners only and to always compare “apples for apples”. Educational institutions must not just look at the “bottom line” when considering solutions but rather ask the question “What are you NOT getting in your solution proposal that you SHOULD be getting? l

Submitted by Michael Berger- Head EdUCation Wireless (Education division of UC Wireless)

The next critical step in an educational institution’s eLearning implementation - BUDGET for it!

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We have read with interest an article that appeared recently in The Star newspaper announcing the Gauteng Education MEC’s ambitious objective of bringing technology into 21 pilot schools.

We know it’s ambitious because at Dial a Nerd we have realised this project for several private institutions and helped many more with their technology. Even though our projects were on a different scale, we have an idea of the challenges a project of this magnitude will encounter. Yet we believe the MEC is absolutely spot-on in identifying the need for Gauteng to undertake this transformation.

We all know that education in South Africa is a very controversial matter but everybody agrees there is a strong need to continuously increase the amount of resources channelled in this direction. Introducing technology is certainly the way to go, but there are important aspects that need to be kept in mind.

The importance of adequate training for educators cannot be underestimated; the last thing you want to happen is to have a teacher dealing with a classroom full of students that are more familiar than she is with the technology that will be used to impart the knowledge.

The four phases as outlined in the article are, in this order• Connectivityforalltheschoolsintheproject• Introducee-learning• ICTtrainingforeducators• Rolloutofnecessaryhardware

We actually believe that training for educators should start at the very beginning of the plan because interaction with teachers that knew how they wanted to deliver the knowledge through technology was a very important component when we executed similar projects for private schools.

The general vision and approach is great but we cannot forget that every institution has its own very specific set of challenges and requirements, in fact 10 of the schools identified to pilot the project “struggle academically, with leadership and management issues”. Personally, I would make sure that management issues were addressed before introducing costly technology and a clear vision of how technology would be implemented in that specific school was outlined, getting buy-in from all the players involved. Once again this was an approach that paid off handsomely in terms of quality of delivery when realising some of our projects but maybe the most important aspect is that budgets were not exceeded.

A very important point is that the quality of delivery will be a great differentiator in the student’s experience and could make all the difference between an engaged learner and a demotivated one. Slow internet connections will trigger lapses in concentration and inadequate equipment will cause lack of trust in the process from both the educators and the students.

Choosing adequate partners to implement the different phases of the project as outlined by the MEC will go a long way towards ensuring a final positive outcome. This may appear obvious but experience teaches us that in the past the suppliers haven’t always been chosen following the best

Paperless classrooms in GautengComment by Robert Caprio, MD, Dial a Nerd

criteria. Industry recognition and adequate credentials for the partners Gauteng will choose for this project will indicate clearly what the priorities of the managers in charge of execution are.

There are many advantages to e-learning:• Greaterflexibilityaroundworkschedulesandcourse

materials. Courses can be adapted around individual needs for students who have specific requirements.

• Higherlevelofengagementoninteractivecourses. The student has an active role instead of passively

receiving information.• Coursematerialaccessiblefromanywhereatanytime.• Provideequalopportunitiestoallstudents.

• Self-pacedlearningmodulesallowlearnerstoworkattheir own speed.

• Accesstostudymaterialmimicsthewaystudentsinteractsocially among themselves (ie they use the same technology to access Facebook or their lesson).

• Studenttostudentinteractioncanhappeninaformatsimilar to online forums where everybody is encouraged to share their knowledge to further the whole community.

We strongly support this initiative and we welcome Mr Lesufi’s determination in bringing technology to our public schools. We sincerely hope his vision will transform our schools and prepare the next generation for a global village that is becoming increasingly competitive. l

ICTe-learning &


Indisputable today is the widespread use of digital resources in all aspects of life, which is only increasing for students. However, despite the investments made by universities in this area, there is still little evidence about how digital resources are utilised by prospective students as part of their search process; and whether they now outweigh traditional methods.

The Students Online: Global Trends 2014 report, compiled by QS, the publisher of the World University Rankings, endeavours to partially fill the gap in research concerning specifically how prospective students will utilise technology as well as traditional sources in their decision making process. This report is essential to future university outreach efforts for prospective students through new insights into their preferences.

A 2012 US-based study from Google and Compete found that nine in ten enrolled students had used the internet to research higher education institutions, with one in ten exclusively using online sources of information.

A year earlier, the 2011 E-Expectations Report1 from Noel-Levitz published the alarming finding that one in five surveyed prospective students said they’d removed a college from their list as a result of a bad experience on the institution’s website.

Laura Bridgestock, author of the report says: “While universities know the online sphere is essential when

communicating with prospective students, there’s little information available about how students use the internet during their research. This report shows that it is important to use a wide range of tools and not to underestimate the importance of traditional communication methods even in the Web 3.0 era.”

Highlights of the report include• Distinctaudiencesusedifferentmethodsofhigher

education search.• Thirdpartyresourcesareconsideredhighlyinuniversity

evaluations.• Socialmediaiswidelyusedinprospectivestudents’

research, though considered comparatively less important than other resources.

• Onlineandofflineresourcesareconsideredequallyimportant.

• Thesurveyedprospectivestudentsreportedthatinformation on scholarships or funding is the most difficult to find.

The scope of this study extended across 35 countries, providing insight not solely into overarching trends but also regional specific, gender specific, and age specific trends.

“In a competitive global market for higher education, universities must ensure the most efficient use of outreach resources, new and old, to engage with the best potential students,” says Monica Vannozzi, project manager of the research. l

Global trends on students’ digital usage


ICTe-learning &

Electronics for an emerging continent

On Monday 8 September 2014, the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign, in partnership with Mxit Reach, launched a literacy app.

The Mxit social networking platform, which has five million monthly users, will allow anyone with a mobile handset

to help put their children on the path to educational success with access to regular stories, literacy tips and support.

“Research shows that being told stories and being read to at home are the things most likely to help make children successful learners at school,” says Carole Bloch, director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA), which is driving the Nal’ibali campaign.

“Stories, particularly when read or heard in home languages, help children develop their language skills and imagination as well as their thinking and problem-solving skills. But not all South Africans have access to children’s books and stories. Reports show that 51% of homes in the

country do not have access to leisure books and 85% of the population lives beyond the reach of a public library.

“By harnessing mobile communication technology, we hope to get even more adults reading and enjoying stories with their children so it becomes part of their daily lives.”

According to Maru Van Der Merwe, Mxit Reach Project Manager for the app, by using push technology they can help remind or prompt users to share a story or story activity with their children.

“Users also have the opportunity to earn points and rewards by completing stories, submitting reviews and answering monthly polls to further encourage regular engagement with the content.”

The app offers a story library for users to access at any time, audio stories for children to listen to together with their caregivers or on their own, as well as fun literacy quizzes and the opportunity to share reviews in a virtual reading club section. lFor more information visit the Nal’ibali story website at http://nalibali.mobi/stories

Nal’ibali launches new reading app with Mxit

The Communica journey began in 1977 with the opening of a small electronics hobby store in Pretoria. In those early days very few of the electronic components we take for granted today were available. Digital integrated circuits were quite new and LEDs had just recently come onto the market. Fixed voltage regulators

and small to medium power MosFets were all new technology. The little store was always buzzing with young students and hobbyists looking for new circuits to build.

Those were exciting times and management, being as passionate as their mainly young clientele, took a personal interest in every request they received. There was a quiet revolution taking place in the industry with new components being launched almost weekly. Management had to work harder to keep up with latest trends.

Communications with suppliers in Europe, Japan and the USA was done by telex since fax machines had not yet been invented. One had to go to great lengths to bring the latest offerings to our little market.

By the early 80’s the fax machine had just been launched and this made the job of sourcing new products a little

easier. By this time Communica’s popularity as a supplier of the latest components was growing and the company began delivering parts throughout the industry and countrywide. While the company was growing there remained one very important market that was always at the heart of management – the student and hobbyist.

Today the company trades out of three locations but remains as passionate and as mindful as ever of the needs of its young student clients. These engineers of tomorrow must be supported with the latest trends and technologies in order to meet the challenges of the new economies. One often hears that this twenty first century will see Africa emerge a powerhouse. As the continent’s leading economy, our country has to be ready to take up the challenge to make this a reality.

Communica is ready, willing and as enthusiastic as ever to play our part in enabling the training and support of our budding engineers towards this common objective. l

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