Over 2000 Samsung Galaxy A30 devices were handed over to school headmasters across the Gauteng province on Tuesday, 13 August 2019. The devices support the administrative processes underpinning e-platforms and will become a focal point of communication between principals, districts and the department of education head office.
The Gauteng MEC for Education and Youth Development, Panyaza Lesufi, in partnership with Vodacom handed over upgraded reporting devices in a bid to ensure continued savings, the department identified a Samsung A30 to substitute reporting devices launched in 2014, whereby both mobile device and a tablet were issued to principals. This single device will yield the same result, with benefits of substantial cost savings.
This long-term partnership between GDE and Vodacom continues to promote the digitalisation of school management in Gauteng. Over the last few years, this partnership has enabled schools to provide updates in real-time. The technology has also helped school principals to remain in close contact with the department for speedy resolution of problems.
“Many of our schools lack basic communication infrastructure, such as telephones. These shortcomings have posed as obstacles, impacting the Department’s ability to consistently receive incident and update reports from schools. Today, we can confidently say that we are well on our way to overcoming this challenge, in partnership with Vodacom,” said MEC Panyaza Lesufi.
The Principals’ reporting platform allows the principals to log amongst others, learner attendance, educator attendance, maintenance issues and security issues timeously. Furthermore, it will also serve as a platform for all Gauteng Principals to share information on best practices, amongst other issues.
“Vodacom’s partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education continues to promote the digitalisation of school management as we work together to create an environment that is ultimately conducive for learning. Our partnership with the GDE aligns with the South African government’s prioritisation of digital solutions to improve efficiency across all departments,” said Rudi Matjokana, Managing Executive for Public Enterprise at Vodacom Business Group.
Additionally, the Principals’ device will be incorporated into the RT15 transversal contract, with numerous benefits such as free calls to other RT15 users, and bundled SMS’s, to name a few. Through this partnership, the GDE’s school network has already seen a marked improvement in issues management to date.
Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
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