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16 April 2008

Salutations
Programme Director,
Minister of Education, Ms Naledi Pandor,
Minister of Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri,
The Minister of Education in Gabon, Mr Michel Menga,
African Ambassadors in South Africa,
The CEO of New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad),
Representatives of the European Union,
Representatives of the Swedish International Development Co-operation
Agency,
Representatives of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco),
Distinguished guests, friends
Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

I thank you very much for inviting me to this important event. I take this opportunity to extend a warm welcome to the delegates and to those participants who come from afar. I trust you will establish the social and professional links that connect us as citizens of the African continent.

I also wish to extend my gratitude to the organisers of this conference for bringing together information and communication technology (ICT) specialists, practitioners, donors, educators, and other key stakeholders who are all united to promote the use of technology in society and schools if we want to overcome our socio-economic challenges.

Value of the conference

New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) recognises the significance of ICT for human development and accelerating economic growth and recognises how crucial it is for poverty eradication and employment creation. The value of this conference lies not only in sharing the insights and experiences gained over the past years, but also in grappling with challenges confronting us and finding ways to harness the power of ICT to enhance our educational activities while also contributing to the achievement of intra-regional partnerships, regional integration and Africa's global competitiveness.

ICT is an enabler for the economic and social development of our continent. In fact, ICT and enhancing e-education is a driver of growth and development. It is one of most crucial and high impact instruments available to us. If we are to harness this, the fruits will be significant.

Interface of ICT and people

Our approach to ICT has to be about putting people first. ICT skills development is not only about infrastructure, it is about the interface between infrastructure, connectivity, electronic content and people. We say in South Africa, it is not the hardware or the software, but the warmware that makes the difference.

A connected learning community is a community that is functional, well managed and is one where every member contributes to the achievement of common goals. It is 'people first' it is about teacher development, management efficiency and skills improvement.

Most importantly, it is about skilling our people to have ICT-literacy because we know ICT skills are a sought-after commodity, and those who have the skills have a better chance at surviving the 21st century challenges.

How many Africans are connected?

That brings me to the next issue connectivity. Communicating in cyberspace and the internet is a worldwide phenomenon web2 as it is called. According to the Internet World Stats website there are currently one-point-three billion (1,3 billion) users of the Internet and these users are growing by two-hundred-and-sixty-five-percent (265,6%) annually.

In South Africa alone, we have five-point-one million (5,1 million) internet users. Can you believe that the users in Africa are growing at a rate of more than eight-hundred-and-eighty-two-percent (882,7%)? And yet this is not adequate when you consider the ICT 'have-nots' that Africa has.

We need to harness this growth so that we use information and communication technologies to change the lives of all our people for the better. We must not relegate ICT to a lesser hierarchy of needs than those of roads, houses etc.

ICT and education

Our generation and those of us who are educators will be judged harshly. We cannot leave our children behind when the rest of succeeding countries are connected. We have to find ways in Africa to get sufficient, sustainable and affordable connectivity to teachers and learners, especially if we are to fully capitalise on the potential that ICT holds for education. We must ensure that we have broadband access to the internet. I am glad that government is making progress in the provision of broadband infrastructure.

Only when we have access to cheap broadband for all schools will we be able to participate fully in the global knowledge society. The way we learn and teach has to change. We must manage our Human Resources in education differently, especially when we talk about teacher-pupil ratio or issues of quality. We have to factor in what technology can do to assist us to deal with our challenges.

We must not be satisfied with second best when we have choices and possibilities to enhance our education provision. I therefore urge all stakeholders to commit themselves to provide broadband and other services to education so that we lower the cost of communications and increase ICT usage for all our people and improve our quality of education. Africa, more than any other continent, has a lot to gain from heeding the ICT call.

In South Africa, we are currently carrying out a feasibility study on the implementation of ICT in teaching and learning since we are aiming to:

* widen access to high quality resources and learning opportunities for all teachers and learners,
* expose all learners, in advantaged and disadvantaged areas, to enriched educational experiences.
* provide to all learners and teachers the means of communication and collaboration to enhance teaching and learning; and thereby give all learners the opportunities to excel in a twenty-first century (21st) environment.

By the end of the study in the second quarter of this year, we will be able to present feasible models of ICT implementation that include:
* ICT hardware and software
* access to broadband technologies,
* curriculum support and innovation,
* ongoing professional development,
* electronic and on-line learning support material
* support services and community involvement.
* government is looking forward to the outcome of this study, the sooner the better.

ICT and development

Rapid advances in technology and the diminishing cost of acquiring new ICT tools have opened new windows of opportunity for African countries. ICT provides us with the means to achieve key components of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Education for All Declaration made in Dakar in the year 2000.

Through the use of ICT in education, we can ensure that by the year 2015, all children, particularly the youth and girl-children have access to primary education of good quality and we can standardise access to quality faster and cheaper.

Through the use of ICT, we can ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes. This is as critical as access to energy and security. We can also improve the quality of education and ensure excellence in the achievement of learning outcomes, especially in literacy, numeracy and e-learning. In poverty alleviation, especially amongst women where micro-credit is a critical contribution, we need ICT together with Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET).

Conclusion

We are required to participate in the worldwide knowledge economy and to achieve this we have to strengthen our collaborative efforts and develop effective national and co-ordinated regional strategies. Our countries must become knowledge economies to stay above water.

As the South African government, we recognise that this Nepad e-School Initiative holds substantial benefits for all participants. Through the use of ICT, we can raise the levels of our educational standards and improve the education and skills of our young people. And above all, address inequality, poverty and unemployment in our countries. By taking this Initiative forward, we begin to meet the challenges of bridging the digital divide.

I thank you.

Issued by: The Presidency
16 April 2008
Source: SAPA