5 minute read
Supporting the advancement of education
Supporting the advancement of education
IN THE ERA OF A PANDEMIC
Mathematics and Science!
For some learners they just click and become a lifelong fascination. For others these subjects are the most dreaded part of the school curriculum. But whichever side you find yourself on, it’s undeniable that Maths and Science are more important than ever.
Even if you aren’t aiming to enter the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field, there are a surprising number of other careers that still require Maths and Science.
From attorneys to architects, air traffic controllers to political scientists, the critical thinking skills and numerical literacy that come with these subjects are essential. The COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal on our education system. Since the announcement of the pandemic in 2020, schooling has been interrupted, with pupils unable to go to school for months on end. Many teachers and schools struggled to gather
resources for online learning; and for those that did, learning these new processes was a significant challenge.
Even before the pandemic, there was a worrying drop in academic performance, particularly in Maths and Science across the country. But then, 2020 proved even worse, and it was heartwrenching to see most learners struggle with their education – particularly the learners from previously disadvantaged communities, whose futures would otherwise have been brighter.
2021 saw us and our partners putting into action ways in which technology can be used to bridge the gap of face-toface learning. For example, through our partnership with Primestars Digital, free lessons
were also placed online (and were zero-rated by Cell C) and free revision notes were provided through a WhatsApp service. In 2021, we reached over 24 977 matriculants, 50 999 WhatsApp revision notes requested and 850 online engagements.
This is why we at Liberty decided to double down, spending R44.9-million on CSI initiatives in 2021. Most importantly, we knew that we would have to find new ways to help those whose schools were suffering.
The landscape of education was already changing, but the pandemic sent this trend into overdrive. Digital solutions had to be embraced, and they had to be engaging, aimed at the next generation of leaders who needed to be inspired. Naturally, for many of South Africa’s learners, the struggle for data, equipment and even basic infrastructure is continuous and ever-growing. This was why we had to strike partnerships that could create accessible and affordable solutions. Firstly, our face-to-face initiatives had to keep going, just with more COVID-friendly measures, supplemented by online learning. The Kutlwanong Centers for Maths, Science and Technology, which Liberty has worked with for eight years, were able to continue operating when lockdown alert levels allowed. However, the programme was transformed into a hybrid model.
A new online platform, under Promaths, was developed, enabling learners to connect with their teachers and continue their studies, when the lockdown levels were raised.
Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, loadshedding and other social factors, in 2021 the Liberty funded Kutlwanong initiative achieved a 100% pass rate for hundreds of pupils across 63 schools. Their determination to learn was inspiring.
Our partnership with education NGO Mindset Africa allowed us to broaden our reach by creating new Maths and Science educational TV shows, and the new TenFold Education app gave learners access to educational opportunities such as revision papers and peer-to-peer learning support.
Thanks to a zero-rating agreement with cellular service providers, we were able to reach thousands of learners countrywide.
To date we have been able to deliver 113,504 video lessons to learners countrywide' - which is an increase of over 400% from the period prior to covid and zero rating. An earlier partnership with Primestars, originally had a focus on financial literacy at a high school level, but due to the sporadic school closures, we realised that helping our matrics to catch up on the Maths and Science curricula would be a better use of the platform.
The Primestars initiative used Ster-Kinekor cinemas to create a free and accessible extracurricular learning space – all following COVID protocols, of course. For a period of 10 weeks, on weekends in all nine provinces, learners were able to attend recorded tutorial sessions, with teachers available to answer all followup questions.
Ultimately, this worldwide health crisis has exposed some of the resource issues and systemic failings in our education system – but it has also helped inspire us to develop new ways to fill these gaps.
Our education sector is struggling, and it is up to CSI initiatives, and private-public partnerships to bring it back to a point where we can be proud.
By promoting education, we can create financially literate and economically savvy future leaders. •
Nomaxabiso Matjila, LeadA Specialist: Group CSI at Liberty Group
CONTACT
Address: 3rd Floor, Liberty Building, Century Blvd, Century City, Cape Town, 7441
Tel: +27 860 456 789Web: myliberty.liberty.co.za.Email: info@liberty.co.zaSocial Media: @LibertyGroupSA
