In support of President Cyril Ramaphosa, to ensure that the principles of social distancing and the Covid-19 lockdown are adhered to, Africa Teen Geeks have launched their digital school.
MsZora, an artificial-intelligence based educational platform, will be offering Lockdown classes live from Monday. The classes will be exclusive to Matric students and from 8am - 5pm across all other grades.
The initiative is in partnership with the Department of Basic Education and Sasol Foundation.
The first week will focus only on Grade 12 STEM subjects, Maths, Physical Science and Languages. Students are urged to visit the website for more information to enrol.
The initiative is aimed at supporting the Department of Basic Education's efforts to keeping learning and teaching going even during the current lockdown following the closure of schools to combat the spread of Coronavirus.
There’s a call out for teachers from Grade R-12 who have reliable internet connection and have knowledge on the South African CAPS curriculum. These educators are encouraged to apply for our STEM Lockdown digital school by emailing a 40 seconds clip explaining why they wish to assist South Africa’s youth during the lockdown, with their resume and cover page to [email protected] by Thursday April 2. All successful applicants will be compensated for their service.
The virtual classrooms are offered at no cost across all grades and sessions will be recorded and posted on the following sites: Africa Teen Geeks, MsZora and the Department. This will allow students accessibility to the content at all times.
With the help of celebrities, politicians, business people and local authors who will be reading DBE accredited books to the student’s in different languages, the aim is to spread the word.
Others will be using their social media influence to get students from all provinces to sign up. Learners have an opportunity to suggest desired topics per subject, and will also interact with educators during the live stream. The educators will be sharing links to online resources that students can follow to help them beyond the one-hour daily sessions.
“It is our wish as Africa Teen Geeks to reach out, not only to students with the required digital resources but to also extend our services to those in rural places who are at a disadvantage during this lockdown. We will not rest until our bad becomes better and our better becomes best,” said Africa Teen Geeks founder Lindiwe Matlali.
“We are aware of the importance of keeping our children safe from all sorts of dangers including abuse and anxiety caused by Covid-19. In this regard, we encourage families to make use of the material which has been made available by our partners and those interested in seeing the basic education system continuing even under the current circumstances,” said Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga.
“Digital learning and free online textbooks form an integral part of our existing, multi-dimensional interventions to contribute to the upliftment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in South Africa. During this time of crisis, these resources are becoming even more relevant in ensuring that our children’s development continues to be supported,” added Anacletta Koloko, Program Practitioner, Corporate Affairs, Sasol Foundation.