ICT Barriers in South African Education

We live the twenty-first century, where technology is the order of the day. ICT is defined as a global network in which ideas are exchanged, or information and knowledge is shared using communication like radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on.

Challenges in Education

-there are not enough teachers who are able to teach ICT related subjects like CAT in schools

-some staff members may not react well to the idea of using ICT in schools

-it is expensive to buy the hardware and software required for setting up MIS, and will require the training on the existing staff and recruitment of new staff who will be able to use the MIS.

-Information Technology (IT) based Management Information Systems (MIS) are expensive to set up.

-Crime: Computers are mostly stolen by community members from those school which have them.

-Lack of technological resources

My own experiences

Out of the years I spent in school, I was only exposed to technology during the first 7 years. During my primary school years, we were taught about the basics of computers like how to use Microsoft and Excel. We would also play puzzle games on the computers.

When I reached Secondary school, the school did have computers but we did not have teachers who were qualified to teach us computers. Lack of computer literate teachers is a very serious problem in my community. The schools are given computers by Telkom as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, but teachers are not trained. Computer rooms are then used as classroom due to the high number of learners in schools with inadequate infrastructure. I did Business Studies as a subject and we were taught about types of communication, and that is where I first heard about emails, blogs and other forms of technological, but I still did not have access to them. It was only I reached tertiary level where I learnt more about computers and became able to use computers well, although I still face minor challenges.

The state, public entities and communities must all work together to reduce these barriers. Teachers must also be willing and ready to be trained so that they will be able to teach their learners computer skills.The state can probably make it a requirement for teachers to have computer certificates when hiring them. Also,the companies who give computers to schools should also ensure that they also provide training assistance to the schools to ensure that their investments are used efficiently. As an emerging teacher, it is my responsibility to learn all the skills I need so that I may be able to convey them to my learners

My final school year at Dlomodlomo Secondary School, Mpumalanga Province.

My name is Baby Thembekile Ncongwane. Many people do not believe that Baby is my real name, but I just show them my Identity Document to prove it. I was born on the 14^th of January 1997. I come from a small village called Elulwatini, Mpumalanga.  I completed my matric in 2014. I am beautiful, thick, curvy-practically what you can refer to as a real African woman. I come from a single-parent home, which consists of my mother, brother and I. We are not a “rich’ family, but my mother tries her best to provide for our basic needs, and sometimes also caters for our wants.

Nhlazatje is what we can refer to as a developing town. It has all the commercial banks, major supermarkets and some of the best clothing stores the country has to offer.You can also find the important state department offices like the Department of Home Affairs, Traffic Department and the South African Police Services.

Dlomodlomo Secondary School is a Secondary School which used to specialise in ordinary learning, but is now being changed to a Science School meaning it will only offer Mathematic, Accounting and all other Science subjects such as Physical Sciences and Life Sciences. I personally think Economics should also be included as it is a social science used to study how people use the limited resources allocated to them to meet their basic needs. The school is based in Elukwatini, Mpumalanga. The school was named after a mountain called Dlomodlomo, which is situated in a surrounding area. It caters for over a thousand students, mostly coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is a no-fee public school, with students only paying a small amount for the cleaning services.

                               Arial view of the school                  

                            The school logo is drawn at the gate to welcome visitors

Below is the location of my school on Google maps.You can use the link to access it:

https://www.google.co.za/maps/place/Dlomodlomo+Secondary+School/@-26.0357179,30.7645919,14.5z/data=!4m3!3m2!1s0x1ee91b6db73a2773:0x24b50ab01ae08bb2!4b1?hl=en&hl=en

                                

                

 The school is one of the top performing schools in the province, and was honoured with a visit by the MEC of Basic Education in Mpumalanga, Miss Reginah Mhaule .The Principal is Mr Mabika M.E.  There are over 30 teachers in the school.

Below is a picture of President Baby Ncongwane signing The Good Conduct Pledge during the MEC’s visit to the school

I was a Commercial student, majoring in Accounting, Economics and Business Studies. I did very well in my studies, but I’m pretty sure I gave my teachers a run for their money. As school president, I was expected to lead by example and show my fellow students the light, but I think all I did was lead them astray. The problem is I had big shoes to fill, following the leadership of President Mvikeli, who was very passionate about leadership and is in fact now a member of the Student Representative Council of the University of Mpumalanga. The school principal, School Governing Body and teachers all had faith in my leadership, but I let them down. I do not, however, regret any of the decisions I made as they have shaped me into the young woman I am today.

As I have mentioned above, I really had a wonderful time in matric. Our class was relatively small, with only sixteen students. I had two wonderful friends, named Thandeka Sibeko and Noxolo Simelane. Thandeka is a chubby girl and is a very good singer, and we really enjoyed singing out loud during free periods and annoying our fellow classmates.  Noxolo is a very beautiful girl who did not take any nonsense from anyone. She was short, but would give everyone a piece of her mind, regardless of their physical appearance. We called ourselves BigNuz because we had two thick ladies and one thin one, just like in the group BigNuz. We gossiped a lot, and most of the girls in our class hated us because we had it all: Beauty and Brains. We also did everything teenage girls do, including dating and dodging classes. We’d always pretend that one of us was sick and only the other two were the only ones who would be able to assist her during maths periods. We would then go out of class and sit behind the classes in the sun and chat until the period was over. We were very lucky to do well in the subject.

My least favourite subject was SiSwati Home Language. I think it was the fact that I had to be taught something I am very fluent in and speak every day that made me disinterested in the subject. I was in love with English First Additional Language. I am not sure if this “love” was because we had a very good teacher or if I was fascinated by learning a second language and being able to engage in it as if it was my own.

My favourite subject was Accounting. We had the best teacher. We would sometimes complain about the morning and evening classes and he would just answer by saying “If complaining was a subject, most of you would get distinctions” He tried his best to ensure that we got the best results at the end of the year.

Teachers in my school used the old method of teaching. No technology was used. We only relied on textbook and printouts.

My friends and I were very famous for taking pictures. We were always camera ready.