Staff Reporter
The National E-Learning Strategy for schools in Zimbabwe 2021-2025 was yesterday considered and approved by Cabinet.
Speaking during a press briefing soon after the 5th Cabinet meeting in Harare yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the National E-Learning Strategy for schools in Zimbabwe is a joint initiative of the Ministries of Information Communication, Technology, Postal and Courier Services and Primary and Secondary Education and is part of the SMART Zimbabwe 2030 Master plan, which is programme 15 of the Cabinet approved Government Priority Programmes on Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
According to the Minister, the plan is also aligned to programme 6 (ICT infrastructure to support Teaching and Learning) of the Government Priority Programme in Human Capital Development, Skills Audit and Employment Creation also approved by Government. The Minister highlighted that SMART Education is the component of SMART Zimbabwe which seeks to increase usage of ICT in the entire education sector regardless of geographical location or economic circumstances.
Minister Mutsvangwa revealed that a number of schools have already benefitted throughout the country’s ten provinces through the national model laboratory per school programme launched by Government. Under the programme, she said each school is expected to be equipped with a computer laboratory composing 41 networked computers, a server, a projector, a printer and a white board.
The Minister informed that the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) will continue to provide gadgets to schools, particularly in the rural areas, under the Connect a School-Connect a community programme formulated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). She added that TelOne, NetOne and Zimbabwe Academic and Research Network (ZARNET) will also be capacitated to play their part in providing connectivity on Schools and Tertiary institutions.
The success of the online learning initiative for rural community, the Minister said will be premised on the expansion and upgrading of the broadband infrastructure, the acquisition of standardised gadgets for schools, the development and delivery of content, the imparting of basic digital skills to educators (capacity building) and the availability of resources for the roll-out of the programme.
“The National Broadcaster will provide dedicated radios and television channels for E-Learning purposes. On the other hand, ZARNET will expedite its project to provide an optic fibre strand for the education sector. The national ICT device factory in Masasa, with capacity to manufacture 150 000 units per annum, will be capacitated for the assembling of the requisite devices for E-Learning,” said the Minister.
The 2021 national E-Learning programme targets the connection of 1500 schools to the broadband, electrification of 434 schools, manufacture of up to 150 000 devices as per order by Primary and Secondary Education Ministry, development of mobile applications for use on the existing E-Learning management system within 45 days, capacitating of 3000 teachers with basic digital skills by December 2021 and delivery of E-Learning through audios, videos and text (multimedia interactive materials).
