01 Feb 2023

Swaneng Hill School recently started distributing 1 606 laptops to both teachers and learners, after a meeting with parents to sign consent forms for their children to be given the gadgets.

School head, Mr Pius Molapisi revealed that they received the laptops around October.

He stated that 782 out of 826 learners and 122 teachers had already received their laptops.

Mr Molapisi was delighted that although parents were not forced to sign consent forms, no case of refusal had been brought to his attention thus far.

A Form Five learner, Bame Keetile expressed delight over the gadget reception, saying it was a welcome development as she had been using her elder sister’s laptop and knew the value of owning one.

“I will be able to spend most of my time studying rather than writing notes as it used to be the case and I will be able to read ahead because full notes are availed on thutonet” she said.

Bame said she was glad that last term, the school took them through a two-week training to familiarise them with the use of laptops.

She encouraged fellow learners to take a good care of the laptops and cautioned them against loitering after school, lest thieves pounce and steal the gadgets.

A parent Ms Chendzimu Keatlholetswe of Mannathoko ward, applauded the school management for consulting parents on the issuance of the laptops to learners.

Ms Keatlholetswe said this was a welcome development since the country was moving to digitalisation and learning could not be left behind.

She said even though they were worried about safety and what learners would have access to on the gadgets, they saw them as essential.

She said they were also reassured that only school based material would be accessible on the gadgets.

Ms Keatlholetswe said although her son had not received his laptop as he was still on sick leave, she could not dispute that they would assist learners.

She was, however, fearful that they endangered the learners’ lives as they might be attacked enroute to and from school.

Admitting that this was a positive development that ought to be supported, she implored parents to take charge to ensure that both the learners and the gadgets were safe.

“My phone will now rest from Kgotla’s frequent borrowing to access internet,” she said, encouraging learners to make full use of the laptops and for the intended purposes.

Ms Koketso Shanghani, whose child is also a learner at Swaneng, said her son had already brought the laptop home and they had a lengthy talk about its care and usage.

“I sat him down and told him what is expected of him.

I made it known to him that in case of loss, I am compelled to pay” she said.

Ms Shanghani said she encouraged her son to use the laptop for its intended purpose, adding that she hoped digitalisation would improve results.

She said she also appreciated that the usage of the gadget was being monitored to avoid instances where learners would use them for mischief.

In response to concerns about loss or damage of the gadgets, the school head stressed that in cases of natural disasters, government would replace the gadget.

Mr Molapisi said in case of loss through theft, thorough investigations would be conducted to establish whether government or the parent should pay.

Furthermore, he advised the learners not to jeopardise their freedom to use the gadgets by accessing sites they were not supposed to.

He, however, revealed that there was a tracking device in place to check the sites learners’ accessed, adding, “The Information Technology (IT) team is working on disabling features learners are not supposed to use”.

Mr Molapisi challenged the learners and their teachers to unite towards digitalisation by fully utilising the new technology and work towards gradually eliminating the use of notebooks and textbooks.

He stated that the gadgets were user-friendly and had a battery that could last for up to five hours, catering even for those with electricity challenges.

Mr Molapisi cautioned learners against camping by the school gate and wandering around after school as that could lead to some losing their laptops ‘because thieves were always on the lookout for new items’.

“I have asked parents to revisit their children’s transport arrangements to ensure that they arrive home safely and on time” he added. ENDS