All Schools To Have WiFi By 2030

Learners in rural villages are faced with many challenges when having to navigate access to technology.

Schools in these areas have issues with connectivity and innovations when it comes to the curriculum.

Now, WiFi will be provided at these schools through a programme called SA Connect.

While at a school in the Eastern Cape, Minister of Communications and Digital Technology, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, said, "It seeks to connect all schools. Of course this doesn't mean that it's going to happen in one year."

Government aims to have all schools in South Africa connected to WiFi by 2030.

Covid-19 and the resulting pandemic shed light on the many inequalities within education. With the move to online learning, rural schools could not participate and learners had trouble when navigating online studies due to poor connectivity and the lack of devices. This, coupled with inconducive learning environments made learning at home nearly impossible and a heavy task for many learners in South Africa.

This then made it clear to Government that there is an issue at hand and that children in rural areas should have easy access to technology.

Other government efforts done to support rural learners is through the provision of school uniforms. 

School uniforms play a bigger role than one would think when it comes to a child's schooling and some parents struggle with this. Even before the pandemic, school uniforms were a heavy purchase for some parents and once you add the struggles of the pandemic, parents are overcome with the struggles of paying for school uniforms.

Children who come from rural households often solely rely on social grants and the amount received is not enough to cover the needs of children.  

The Ministry is on a school drive campaign in the Eastern Cape, donating uniforms, shoes and stationery, seen as the first step to restore their dignity.

Stakeholders have said that this provision of school uniforms will help restore their dignity.

We are benefitting 300 learners from this area and the other areas tomorrow and all of this is to say to all the young learners that do not come from privileged homes: you don't have to be the best and education is the best asset that can help you change your life.