Johannesburg - With the #FeesMustFall campaign in the spotlight, a little-known secret is that the City of Joburg has a free, online university at six libraries.
The only requirements are time and effort.
The Massive Open Online Varsity (Moov), an e-learning programme, was launched in March this year at the Westbury Library and Recreation Centre in Region B by then mayor Parks Tau.
The courses are available at libraries in White City Jabavu, Emndeni, Orange Farm, Alexandra, Westbury, Sandton and the inner city. More centres are planned for Ivory Park, Eldorado Park, Cosmo City, Poortjie and Diepsloot.
About 4 500 students have registered and 150 have graduated with certificates in webmaster, web design, financial management and marketing.
The courses are accredited by international institutions such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the US, the University of Adelaide in Australia, the Microsoft Virtual Academy and website creation company Wix.
The platform was accessible to residents who were between the ages of 18 and 34 at video-enabled Moov learning centres, said member of the mayoral committee responsible for community development Nonhlanhla Sivumba.
Distance-learning platforms such as Moov are interactive-user forums based on America’s Massive Open Online Course phenomenon. The platforms allowed for interaction between students, professors and teaching assistants, she said.
Moov is a R25 million project under Vulindlel’eJozi, a programme aimed at creating access to smart education to eliminate factors such as distance and costs associated with obtaining an education.
“Graduates have an option to upgrade to an even advanced level of courses in computer coding,” Sivumba said.
Vulindlel’eJozi is a R150m youth programme aimed at breaking down barriers to opportunities for some 200 000 youths in entry-level job training and placement, online further education and entrepreneurial skills development.
The programme is being rolled out in partnership with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, an NGO that specialises in matching unemployed youth to various job opportunities.
More than 140 000 youth have registered for Vulindlel’eJozi. The aim and commitment is to assist them to reach their potential.
The courses also include maths and language-skills training using the world-famous Khan Academy system.