Elmon Tshikhudo
For the last 15 months, learners up and down the country have had their education disrupted by the pandemic. Many are currently only called in to go to school a few days a week.
“This calls for an invention,” said Excellent Muvhango, an IT specialist and inventor from Louis Trichardt in Limpopo.
Excellent has designed a digital classroom that will connect learners with their teachers wherever they are.
“Our education system and day to day teaching has been adversely affected by the Covid pandemic,” he explained.
At most schools, it is now normal for learners to attend classes for a week and have to take the following week off.
Thendo Ndwamato, a Grade 10 learner at Shayandima secondary school outside Thohoyandou, said that getting an education has never been so difficult.
“We only go to school for a few days a week in accordance with the Covid-19 protocols.”
This uncertainty and disruption has had an enormous impact on productivity – of both teachers and pupils – at schools.
Excellent said he came up with his innovation to make education more appealing and accessible to learners through the use of mobile technology and by making digital classrooms available for free to schools.
The technology will allow and assist educators and learners to continue learning even if they can’t go into class.
“Already we have identified 30 schools that we will be assisting in Limpopo and our dream is to roll it out countrywide in the near future,” Excellent said.
Rendani Manenzhe, a school liaison officer at Mushaathoni secondary school in Nzhelele, said the technology could be transformative.
According to Manenzhe, most learners take the week off as a holiday and do not do the school work they are set.
“The digital classroom is the way to go – where we will interact with our learners everywhere,” he said.
Interested schools can sign up on MUVEX ICT’s website or email them at [email protected]
