Over 5 000 Eastern Cape schools receive digital management solution to improve education outcomes.

Vodacom has been awarded the contract to supply a school management solution to the Eastern Cape Department of Education to help with the administration of 5 000 schools. The solution will enable the Department to use technology to better manage the sparsely distributed and remote schools in the province.

Through the school management application, the Department will be able to communicate with each school and receive vital information for school administration to improve education outcomes. The school management application will help the Department to collect information about the various activities in each school such as time and attendance, pupil grade tracking and asset management.

The application integrates with the South African School Administration Management Solution (SA SAMS), eliminating duplication of effort and making it easy for teachers to access and use. The National School Nutrition Programme’s (NSNP) management module of the solution will assist the Department to optimally manage and monitor all the schools’ implementation of the NSNP through improved visibility.

Vuyani Jarana, Chief Officer at Vodacom Business, says: “Notwithstanding the Government’s efforts to invest in public schooling infrastructure, South Africa still has a huge backlog in terms of education infrastructure. The lack of libraries and science laboratories tops the list of needs, alongside the lack of classrooms. Given this set of circumstances, it is hard to imagine how South Africa could improve education without the use of ICT technologies. Digitising education presents new possibilities as paper-based libraries become digital and physical science experiments are converted into repeatable video formats. This improves student subject matter comprehension and memory recall of learning experiences. We congratulate the Eastern Cape Department of Education for taking this much needed step.”

The Gauteng Department of Education has used the solution for over six years and the Eastern Cape is the third province to adopt the solution after Gauteng and Free State. The Eastern Cape Department of Education’s Superintendent General, Themba Kojana, says: “Our partnership with Vodacom will enable the Eastern Cape Department of Education to improve our school management systems across the province. This technology will allow us to receive consistent and accurate data from all our schools to assist us in ongoing decision-making including the appropriate allocation of Departmental resources.  This is critical for us as we strengthen our systems and implement a new Service Delivery Model that completely overhauls our operational posture.”

Teachers will also have access to curriculum-approved content through the solution, including Vodacom’s zero-rated e-school platform, which will improve teaching and learning in the schools. Schools will receive devices such as laptops and tablets secured through the Vodacom Secure Device Management (VSDM) solution, ensuring that critical content is protected from cyber security crimes at all times.

With significant health and employment challenges and a burgeoning youth population, quality education is critical to South Africa’s long-term success. To ensure that appropriate resources are being deployed in areas of greatest need, the South African Government needs accurate data to monitor schools across the country and ensure that they are being managed correctly. Reliable, consistent data is key to successful education outcomes.