Eastern Cape schools in line for ICT support, despite budget constraints

Despite the limited budget, crumbling infrastructure and lack of teaching support material, the Eastern Cape education department has promised it will continue to produce good results.

With the limited budget of R42bn that the department received for the 2024/2025  financial year,  the department has promised some of the emphasis will be on developing ICT in schools.

Eastern Cape education MEC Fundile Gade said as many as 1,000 schools, mostly disadvantaged schools, would be getting ICT support.

“The total budget allocation for 2024/2025 financial year is R42bn ... with the limited budget allocation, the department will prioritise E-learning implementation in the most disadvantaged schools and increase the budget allocation for the advancement of digital transformation in those schools.”

Gade said the department would also strengthen partnerships with the private sector to enhance ICT integration in the Eastern Cape.

“The department has also prioritised an additional 1,000 schools for the provision of a comprehensive ICT support.

“This will assist in making sure that teachers focus on teaching and learning while the ICT resources focus on the uptime of the teaching solutions provided in schools,” he said.

For 2024/2025, Gade said the department planned on deploying smart classrooms to 12 schools in the province, one per district.

“Over a period of two years from this year and next year, it is envisaged the number of schools with smart classrooms will be at least three per district.

“The department will pilot 12 ICT resources centres in our districts.”

He said the department was doing great in reaching its matric pass targets.

“The department will further ensure that all schools are adequately resourced for optimal functioning.

“The education sector adopted the Education System Transformation Plan in 2019 whose strategic thrust is to maximise opportunities for learners achieving a good pass in the NSC examinations while improving performance in the whole system.”

He said the plan had since been revised from 2024 to 2029.

“The Eastern Cape education system has been on the rise over the past years, starting with the increase in the number of learners passing the NSC from 50% in 2008 to 81.4% in 2023.”

To keep up with the demands of the changing world, Gade said the department was required to come up with plans, strategies and innovations to adapt to these demands.

The department said a provincial Learning Management System would be established and implemented incrementally over the next few years.

“Key to this objective is to ensure that managers at all levels in schools, districts and head office are adequately prepared to execute the task of government and to provide excellent service to our learners and communities at large, he said.

Asked how these goals would be achieved if state schools were crumbling because of poor infrastructure, Gade said maintenance of existing education facilities was important.

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