The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
THE Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Dr Jenfan Muswere, has officially commissioned two computer laboratories at Nyakuipa and Katsenga secondary schools in Makoni West to enhance smart learning in rural schools.
The Information Communication Technology (ICT) labs are each fitted with 32 state-of-the-art laptops, printers, projectors, white boards and free internet subscriptions for six months.
The gesture from Dr Muswere, who is also the MP for Makoni West could not come at a better time as these rural schools were operating on shoestring budgets, and unable to offer e-education to students because they had no funds to purchase the gadgets and connectivity.
Unlike urban schools which have computers and have integrated ICTs in their curriculum, Nyakuia and Katsenga, among other rural schools, could not cope with ICT demands because they had no computers and internet access.
Lack of access to such critical technology had created a digital divide disadvantaging a whole generation of students in rural areas.
“This part of Government strategy to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban schools. It shows Government’s commitment to digitalising the entire economy. This is part of the national e-learning strategy in which Government is equipping and providing connectivity to more than 8 800 schools in terms of the National Development Strategy (NDS1).
“NDS1 proritises human capital development and digital economy as catalysts and enablers transform and revolutionise the education sector. So this is testimony to the President’s vision of ensuring that the national e-learning strategy connects the unconnected. The national e-learning strategy is going to revolutionalise the education sector in terms of access to education and research, and certainly this is going a long way as we walk the journey towards a digital economy by the year 2030,” said Dr Muswere.
He said the national e-learning strategy is running from 2021 to 2025.
“We have a raft of measures supported by the practicalities of the situation, which include launch of the national device factory that was launched by the President this year. This will come a long way in terms of providing gadgets, and we have also instructed Potraz to connect all these institutions for free as we walk the journey towards a digital economy. These measures are focusing on the domestication of value chains and also in line with the local content strategy,” said Dr Muswere.
He said they will target to connect 2 500 schools next year.
“We have been pushing through our bids to ensure that we connect around 2000 schools next year. We are lobbying that these resources be availed, and also to compliment the national e-learning strategy, we have the Presidential E-learning Programme which is on-going through Potraz, which has seen us deploying 170 community information centres (CICs) across the country.
“All these will also become e-learning strategy pedestals as we journey towards an e-education and all this CICs are there for free until such a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has been mitigated against,” said Dr Muswere.
Nyakuipa head Mr Taurai Tswatswa thanked Government for building the ICT capacity of rural schools through the provision of computers and internet access.
Mr Tswatswa said the use of technology in schools will improve the quality of education, better students’ academic performance and increase in economic opportunities.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Nokhutula Matsikenyere also attended the occasion.
