The Free State Department of Education has launched a digital learning project in an effort to ensure that the province’s matric learners do not fall behind on their studies. The project is live on social media and seven radio stations.
The nationwide lockdown in the country has interrupted almost everything including learning and teaching. This means educators have had to find new and innovative ways of teaching, especially the matric class of 2020.
While some pupils are still enjoying their school holidays, matric learners in the Free State have resumed their studies. As the country is under lockdown, they are studying from home through a digital learning platform to ensure they do not fall behind on their studies due to the lockdown.
Some matric pupils from Bainsvlei Combined School have welcomed the help from the Department of Education.
Kobile Kobile, one of the learners, says, “There’s nothing that we can do. So, receiving our lessons like this, SABC is really helping us. We are able to do corrections. We are able to do revisions and able to ask questions. They even gave us their number so we can text them when there’s something we don’t understand,” says Kobile.
Another learner benefiting from this project is Thandiwe May. “They help us a lot, because they sometimes help us with how to answer questions and stuff. So, I think we will pass at the end,” says May.
Free State Education MEC Tate Makgoe says this is the department’s effort to close the gap caused by the lockdown. Makgoe says they hope the use of the digital platform will bear positive results.
“We are hoping that the learners will understand that education continues. Remember, they are now in Grade 12. Grade 12 is a very important year. But we are not excluding Grade 10 and 11 … are all important years. We also want to use this opportunity to talk to parents, grannies and everybody who are at home to realise that children must continue to learn. Because it is important and we must make sure that they learn,” says Makgoe.
The Department of Education is aiming to retain its No.: 1 spot in the country. The Free State topped the country in matric results last year.
As SABC.s Palesa Moeti reports from Bloemfontein, learners can access live and recorded lessons in the form of videos:
Soshanguve school torching
Meanwhile, the Department of Education in Gauteng believes there’s a syndicate operating in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, following the torching of yet another school.
The administration block of Soshanguve High school was set alight this morning, bringing the total number of burnt schools to 23 in the province since the beginning of the lockdown.
Emergency Services responded to a call early on Wednesday morning that the Soshanguve school was on fire.
Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire which had already destroyed everything in the administration block, including all equipment and essential documents.
Tshwane Emergency Spokesperson, Charles Mabaso says an admin block was fully engulfed by fire.
“An admin block consisting of about 12 offices was fully engulfed by fire. Firefighters had to break the gate as well as the doors to the building to gain entry to start with firefighting. The fire was then extinguished at just past five o’clock this morning. The cause of the fire is not yet known at the moment. The SAPS will carry out an investigation. The fire department will carry out a cost determination,” says Mabaso.
This is the fourth school to be torched in the township in under a week.
‘Motive a mystery’
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi says the motive behind the torching of these schools remains a mystery. Lesufi is appealing to the police to help assist the department as he believes there’s a syndicate operating in the province.
“Anyone who targets their nerve centre, they want maximum damage and there is no way that we can ignore it as an isolated thing. It’s coordinated and we really believe that the law enforcement agencies must come as quickly as possible to assist us to identify these culprits and they must explain (why) they are targeting, schools, especially during a lockdown,” says Lesufi.
Where is Bheki Cele? Always on media like Beyonce doing nothing Soshanguve is out of hands pic.twitter.com/kxjvFRlPcB
— lethabo jacob Ngqola (@NgqolaJacob) April 8, 2020
This morning it’s Soshanguve Secondary School. We lost four schools in a week @SAPoliceService @Steve_Mabona pic.twitter.com/OnfDVPdUVM
— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) April 8, 2020
Lesufi says they are now working on measures to prevent such incidents from happening at other schools. He says temporary measures will be put in place to ensure that schooling can commence without disruptions when schools re open.
Some schools are without security after contracts which ended in March were not renewed by the Public Safety Department.
https://twitter.com/MahlatjieMatuba/status/1247764940020047874
I can believe this, now they burning schools. This is SOSHANGUVE HIGH SCHOOL pic.twitter.com/uGt0Cxp5q1
— Tebogo Matjeke (@matjeke_tebogo) April 8, 2020
