adminLeonard Ncube
Victoria Falls Reporter
A LOCAL Information Communication Technologies (ICT) company Edutech has designed a foldable solar mobile classroom to be used by schools, particularly rural ones.
The concept targets 1 000 schools countrywide and will come in handy in addressing the shortage of learning infrastructure and improving the pass rate.
Pilot beneficiaries have been identified in Matabeleland South, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and Manicaland as Edutech targets 100 schools per province.
This comes as the Second Republic has identified digital transformation as one of the key drivers of socio-economic development.
Edutech chair and chief executive Mr Luke Musambasi said the home-grown Smart Green Mobile Class structure comes with a complete digital package and is designed as a smart classroom.
“Zimbabwe’s Edutech company has designed a foldable home-grown Smart Green Mobile Class structure which is a complete digital package designed as a smart classroom. The system has mechanisms to prevent damage to the panels during transit and is especially useful for schools in rural areas,” he said.
Mr Musambasi said the target was 1 000 schools countrywide, thus 100 per province focusing on the 72 educational districts.
“We have so far identified beneficiaries from Matabeleland South, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and Manicaland,” he said.
Mr Musambasi said research has shown that the unavailability of sustainable power and internet coverage among a myriad of challenges, has been a cause for concern for rural communities thereby causing problems in the roll out of digital teaching and learning.
He said this resulted in a creation of a huge digital skills gap where learners were left behind in terms of implementing the competence-based curriculum which does address the equipping of learners with 21st Century transformative technology skills.
“Covid-19 helped expose these gaps resulting in serious investment in smart learning.
“Our mobile system with its components can make any school set up a green energy power bank back-up facility, an e-learning research unit, a school security system, and a mobile digital lab facility under an inclusive designed financial model,” said Mr Musambasi.
He said this addresses issues of affordability, quality and accessibility to technologies in all remote areas.
“This also helps modernise our learning institutions towards attaining 2030 vision goals derived from our National Development Strategy 1, and building our country through education, brick upon brick, and leaving no child and place behind,” said Mr Musambasi.
The project is aimed at resourcing and up-skilling learners, instructors and administrators with reliable gadgets, and improving connectivity to raise education standards.
Edutech has also been implementing another project where, in partnership with Rural Optimum Schools Empowerment (ROSE) foundation, distributed 2 000 tablets to about 100 schools from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Midlands.
The tablets were handed over to the beneficiaries last year at the “Redefine education technology conference 2022”, with the second phase set to give 500 000 tablets worth about US$1,5 million to be distributed across the country.
Benefiting schools are also capacitated with internet Wi-Fi extenders to enhance the speed and strength of their connectivity.
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