Durban - The IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature has questioned the procedure used by the KZN Department of Education in selecting districts that will benefit from coding and robotics subjects.
This comes after the IFP KZN provincial spokesperson on Education, Thembeni Madlopha-Mthethwa, submitted a parliamentary question to KZN Education MEC Mbali Frazer.
Madlopha-Mthethwa asked how many schools in KwaZulu-Natal would benefit from coding and robotics subjects in each district.
In a statement on Tuesday, Madlopha-Mthethwa said the MEC’s response was that 31 schools from Grade R-3, and 112 schools from Grade 8-9, from six districts, including Amajuba, King Cetshwayo, Pinetown, uMkhanyakude, uThukela and Zululand, would benefit.
Madlopha-Mthethwa said no clear time frame had been provided as to when the other districts, including Harry Gwala, Ugu, uMgungundlovu, uMzinyathi, and iLembe, which were excluded, would benefit from this project.
“We demand answers from the KZN MEC for Education, Mbali Frazer. Why were schools from other districts excluded from benefiting from this important pilot project for coding and robotics?” she asked.
She said it is concerning that only six out of 11 districts were prioritised for this project.
“We are concerned about the exclusion of the schools in the other five districts. This will disadvantage teachers and learners, particularly those in rural areas. We concur with former deputy president, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who so memorably stated at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in 2015, ‘With technology, we can achieve universal access to secondary education within a generation’,” said Madlopha-Mthethwa.
She said this could also be seen as discrimination against children who study in these ill-equipped government schools as these subjects could assist them secure jobs.
“The IFP calls upon the KZN MEC for Education, Mbali Frazer, to provide clear time frames as to when the other five districts will benefit from the coding and robotics pilot project.”
Madlopha-Mthethwa said all teachers and pupils must be treated equally.
“The IFP believes that all learners must benefit from ICT in their respective schools. Rural schools continue to face a host of challenges, including the lack of essential resources. The IFP believes that solutions must be found to uplift rural schools and produce positive changes and conditions for rural learners, rural schools, and their communities.”
The KZN Department of Education said the six districts are piloting the subjects.
However the department said all 12 districts’ training teams were trained in May and July 2022.
“All districts are now training grade R to 3 and 7 educators that will teach the subject as from January 2023 , in the above-mentioned grades.”