NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 363
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 14/03/2014
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 06/2014)
Mrs J F Terblanche (DA) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(1) How were the districts decided upon where e-learning is
taking place in the Eastern Cape;
(2) how many pupils are currently benefitting from the project;
(3) was there an improvement in the results of the 2013
matriculants who used this e-learning in comparison with the
matriculants of the previous year who did not use the
technology;
(4) when will the e-learning be rolled out to other provinces,
specifically to rural schools throughout the country? NW417E
RESPONSE:
1) The identification and implementation of e-Learning within the provinces
are provincial competencies. Provinces identify districts and schools
based on the availability of funds for the implementation of e-Learning.
2) E-Learning projects can be defined as provincial or national projects
that are both supported by schools and districts. The Department of Basic
Education invests in national initiatives to boost the capacity of
managers, teachers and learners and provide access to high quality
electronic content. These initiatives within the Eastern Cape Province
includes the following:
⢠The 2010 World Cup Legacy project with 44 317 learners having access
to the solution provided;
⢠The ASIDI project where 11 332 learners are benefiting from the
technology solution provided to the schools; and
⢠The ICT for Rural Education Development project with approximately 5
420 learners reaping the benefits of the solution provided to the
participating schools.
3) The Department of Basic Education has not measured the impact of e-
Learning with regards to learner performance. It is important to note
that the introduction of ICT in learning and teaching is to create a
learning culture that keeps pace with the 21 st century environment and
equips learners with relevant knowledge and skills to use information
effectively and keep abreast with technology advances. This will allow
learners to apply ICT skills to access, analyze, evaluate, integrate,
present and communicate information via any available technology
platform.
4) E-Learning is currently being implemented in all provinces. However,
provinces are at different levels with regards to the implementation.
This is evident in the significant progress made in Western Cape,
Gauteng, North West and the Northern Cape provinces. This is linked to
priorities of the provinces and the different provincial contexts.