Council schools to offer online classes

Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has embarked on a massive e-learning project that will see all their 31 schools being able to provide online classes to its pupils.

The local authority revealed that it was also working on connecting all its libraries to a fibre optic network as part of moves to comply with new trends in the education sector.

BCC has 30 primary and one secondary school which it operates in the city plus 10ibraries located in various high-density suburbs.

According to the latest council report, the local authority revealed that since its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department was already working on providing the schools with Fibre Optic Cable connections for the creation of a link with council systems the schools should take advantage to also boost their e-learning capability.

“The ICT department was working on configuring and connecting schools with council system, this would help improve the communication system and general efficiency. Parents at times lost receipts and had to come to Tower Block to have duplicates and this now could be done at school level. This was in line with the Covid-19 protocols.

“The department thus wished to tap into this link and help provide the schools with e-learning opportunities. This had been made apparent by the recent outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers would also be enabled to research and deliver quality lessons on line to their learners,” reads the report.

The local authority further revealed that in future, budgets will provide resources for data and network connectivity charges with School Development Councils being, for the time being, required to contribute to the costs of providing e-learning/Data.

The Government recently reported that it was  working on standardising online learning so as to develop a uniform system.

Most private schools rolled out online learning at the beginning of the national lockdown although demanding Second Term fees, a development that has left them at loggerheads with Government.