09 Feb 2022

A positive mindset is necessary for schools to achieve digital transformation, which is in line with President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s Reset Agenda

Speaking during a schools’ digitalisation workshop in Kanye on Tuesday, Ministry of Basic Education south regional operations director, Mr Acro Maseko, indicated that those involved in digital transformation process should have a positive mindset for it to succeed.

Mr Maseko said the workshop was meant to take principal education officers on board with respect to the cascading plan meant to capacitate schools to embrace and effectively implement the digital transformation strategy.

He said if teachers had challenges with information communication technology, there was no how they could assist learners.

Mr Maseko explained that digitalisation would make information accessible to all sectors of the economy, adding that it would assist the country to be competitive internationally.

He said government intended to digitalise service delivery across all ministries and that schools’ digital transformation was a step in the right direction.

Mr Maseko said there was a good number of unutilised gadgets in schools because most teachers were not skilled to use them and urged relevant officers to make sure that after the workshop, they would be used.

“This year, Form Four learners will be given gadgets to enhance learning, go out there and capacitate their teachers,” he said.

For his part, principal education officer (Maths), Mr Knowledge Basupi defined school digital transformation as a learning experience for both teachers and pupils.

And it could improve their skills to create a more engaging and effective education process by manipulating technology and data.

He informed the trainees that the objectives of the workshop included appreciation of the concept of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) in schools’ digital transformation environment as well as to ensure its implementation in different sub-regions.

Mr Basupi further said the workshop was also meant for trainees to appreciate schools’ readiness in respect to the digital environment and to help monitor as well as evaluate the implementation.

Regarding the importance of digital transformation in schools, he explained that it provided a more realistic way of monitoring the success of learners.

“Through recording of learners’ work, teachers and parents could easily track their academic performance,” he added.

He highlighted that it brought about increased learner engagement, noting that cooperative learning was improved and enhanced interactions between parents and teachers. 

“It brings about improved results and issues of shortages in teaching aids would be addressed,” he said.

Another principal education officer, Ms Sylvia Kwape, urged participants to make use of the wealth of information acquired and share it with others in order to effectively implement school’s digital transformation strategy.

She informed them that failure to employ what they learnt was the same as having wasted money spent on the workshop.

Participants were taken through Microsoft outlook, teams, OneNote, OneDrive as well as 21st Century Learning Skills. BOPA