Learners, teachers sign up for UP’s JuniorTukkie Online

ALMOST 18 000 high school learners from across the country – and increasingly also their teachers – are making use of the 85GB of free study and subject support provided on the University of Pretoria’s (UP’s) JuniorTukkie Online platform.

Since 2021, 17 690 learners have registered on the platform, approximately 11 500 of whom actively use its contents.

Gauteng learners (68%) have so far benefited the most, followed by scholars from KwaZulu-Natal (12%) and the Western Cape (10%).

JuniorTukkie has been the flagship project of UP’s Department of Enrolment and Student Administration since its launch in 2012. Now JuniorTukkie Online – launched in 2021 in the wake of the Covid19 pandemic – has proved to be a valuable source of “extra classes” and study material that learners can access at any time. The project also reinforces UP’s commitment to promoting digital leadership.

“Grade 8 to 12 learners do not have to be prospective UP students to access this e-learning platform,” says Rirhandzu Golele, manager: undergraduate recruitment and JuniorTukkie.

All material is in line with the National Senior Certificate and Independent Examination Board curriculums.

The creation of new subject-related content was funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Colin Bennett, Platform Development Director for JuniorTukkie Online, says: “A Teachers’ Resource Library was launched in March and contains a fully indexed library of all student learning material available.

“It allows teachers to register and download resources that they can use in their own classrooms.”

Because of the reality of poor internet access in some areas, the JT Online team has also been providing some schools with memory sticks containing 85GB worth of resources.

One principal from a secondary school in Alberton said, “Revision has become easier and more enjoyable because the video is just played on the smartboard, then facilitated in the classroom. I can accommodate different learning styles within one session.”

Grade 8 to 12 learners who want to access the online material can register on juniortukkie.online by choosing specific subject “classrooms”.