Hermanus Varsity fired up for the digital era

Writer: Elaine Davie.

Delana Finlayson, CEO of the Hermanus Varsity Trust (HVT) is excited. “We’re on a roller coaster ride at the Varsity; lockdown has opened up so many possibilities for us, especially in the field of digital education. Our target group is the youth and they’re hungry for anything digital. There are all sorts of brilliant projects planned for next year, but right now, our first consideration is to offer support to local matric students – and, for that matter, Grades 10 and 11 as well.”

Qhamani Mafilikane started at Hermanus Varsity with no knowledge of computers. She has since joined the Excel for Business Course and is passing modules with marks above 80%.

HVT is tapping into a telematic system operated by Stellenbosch University which offers review packages for all the main Grade 12 subjects. Live presentations are given in real time by a panel of what Delana refers to as “brilliant, passionate and inspirational teachers”. These are interactive sessions, but they are also available in recorded form. Students will be able to log into them from home, but if they do so from the Varsity Hub, there will be local facilitators on hand (specialists in the particular subject being covered), who will be able to lead a discussion on the work or clarify issues. Unfortunately, because of lockdown regulations, no more than 20 students will be able to attend these sessions at a time.

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