New app gets schools and department connected
THE quality of education offered in the Eastern Cape is poised for a major improvement following the introduction of a technology solution linking local schools to the Department of Education.
One of South Africa’s leading mobile network operators, Vodacom, is making the most of technology to improve administration, teaching and learning systems in the impoverished province.
It has unveiled a groundbreaking innovation, in the form of an application known as the Principal Engagement/ Teacher Engagement app, which would allow teachers and principals to report incidents to the department, and send a daily report on the teacher, learner ratio at public schools on any particular day.
It was anticipated that the new Vodacom app would help address other challenges that hindered effective service deliv- ery and communication in the Eastern Cape.
Previously, communication channels have failed to clearly link the schools with the department.
As a result, caused delays in resolutions to issues such as burst geysers and other incidents at schools.
The introduction of the Principal Engagement/Teacher Engagement app would hopefully put an end to these delays, allowing the Department of Education to act timeously when an issue at a school arose and was reported.
“We are proud to have been a part of the introduction of the Principal Engagement/Teacher Engagement app,” said Dinah Kheswa, acting managing executive for Vodacom business public sector.
Kheswa said they were not cutting out the middle man with the app in regard to the way schools in the Eastern Cape communicated with the Department of Education.
“All we are doing is making this process of communication faster, and essentially more effective,” Kheswa added.
“Our children are, after all, the future, and we are doing all we can to ensure that their level of education is of the best quality, so that they too may be successful in the future.”
The mobile operator’s solution was announced at the recent third annual Eastern Cape E-Learning summit in East London.
The Eastern Cape, one of the poorest provinces in South Africa, has long been identified as among the worst-performing regions in education.
Other hindrances the province faced included poor infrastructure and a severe lack of qualified teachers. – CAJ News