20 Mar 2022

St Joseph’s College teachers have been implored to embrace the fourth industrial revolution in schools to transform learning through e-education. 

Basic education minister Fidelis Molao said this on Friday at the donation of 55 tablets to the college by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (ROK). 

Mr Molao said the use of technology facilitated more interactive, meaningful, inclusive and relevant learning, as well as information retention by learners, owing to its hands-on approach and need for teamwork. It also equipped students with problem solving skills and thus turned them into critical thinkers, he said. 

“We are very pleased for this assistance, it closes gaps in the provision of Information Technology equipment in schools and supports the teaching of mathematics, science and ICT in both primary and secondary schools. Technology has indeed become a part of the world that we live in and we must make sure we fully exploit the opportunities it brings,” said the Minister. 

He disclosed that he received a consignment of 590 tablets from the Korean government, for use in public schools at both primary and secondary levels. 

The Korean government had also availed volunteer teachers for support. To date, he said, ROK had donated a total of 1119 tables. Mr Molao said the donation to St Joseph’s College came from the country’s latest donation of 590 tablets, which would altogether benefit 15 schools. Thanking ROK’s ambassador Mr Young-Kyu Park, Mr Molao said the government of Botswana appreciated the cooperation and support from ROK and assured him that the devices would be put to good use as well as be well taken care of. 

When donating the devices, Mr Young-Kyu Park also said that one of the main effects of 4IR was increased human productivity. “It would dramatically change the way we relate to one another, live, work, and educate our children These shifts are enabled by smart technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data, and augmented reality,” he said. 

The Ambassador also noted that the valuable contribution towards improving Botswana‘s quality education would develop children’s capacity and development as well as transform communities and into digital societies. 

St Joseph’s College principal Ms Constance Male thanked the Korean government for their generosity.

“Although we have not yet reached the numbers that we aspire to have, we consider this as a priceless contribution as this will help both learners and teachers in their research,” she said. She implored teachers and learners to make use of the devices and to handle them with care. ends