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Education IT

Learning goes mobile in South Africa

By Xinghui Guo | 3 June 2011

Using Mxit, a mobile social networking service, Grade 12 students in South Africa can now reach the Department of Basic Education (DBE) instantaneously. DBE launched “Class of 2010”, adding interactive contacts that can answer mathematics questions and prepare students for tests.

“The new Class of 2011 Portal has been well received with well over 65 000 learners having added the DBE Class of 2011 contact on Mxit,” said Enver Surty, Deputy Minister of Basic Education.

The Mxit platform, accessible by an application download on Wap-enabled phones, was chosen as it is a platform that learners were already using. While South Africa has 3.8 million Facebook users, 10 million of South Africans are on MXit and 6.8 million South Africans access the internet with their cell phones.

“Our learners live in a world that is increasingly driven by information and communication technology. It requires high levels of skills and competencies in order to meet the needs of the digital age,” said Surty. “ICT must be integrated into the curriculum in the 21st century.”

Apart from answering students’ queries and distributing additional learning material on Mxit, DBE also runs student competitions on the mobile social networking service and is active on Twitter and Facebook.

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