A new education system for South Africa

[tec0]

If you think that you are going to get anywhere by giving shack dwellers tablets then you are sadly mistaken. In an environment where kids stab each other and even the teachers, where they steal all the brass taps and break the toilets just for the hell of it, where they are too stupid to pick up the litter around the school let alone clean the bathrooms now and again....you are dreaming. You cannot apply 1st world solutions to 3rd world problems and then hope that they will manage the solution themselves. You must remember a couple of things, school text books are issued each year, why? math hasn't changed nor has science or geography. The reason the textbooks are changed is because it is a mechanism to make lots of money. If you think that the companies that print textbooks are going to stand for you doing away with textbooks and replacing them with PDFs on a tablet that could be copied so that nobody makes anymore money then you are also mistaken. We've been down this route in Namibia, I created such a device for my brother and his buddies and they demo'd it to the department of education, they thought it was really great but one of the teeny weeny little problems that they pointed out was that there are lots and lots of poor people who can barely afford a piece of chalk who are tought under a tree because there is no money for classrooms and to top it all off they don't have electricity for miles around.

The tablet idea is nothing new, very few schools use it, mainly upmarket private schools do. Even the upmarket expensive public schools don't because the parents are not keen on spending R800 on a subsidized tablet. My daughter is in grade 8 in a posh girls school. They don't get to take cell phones, tablets or laptops into class because they get stolen, dropped, kicked, stepped on etc.

Guys, you are barking up the wrong tree, you cannot solve education with electronics, people teach people, what needs to happen is that they need to spend lots of energy on educating the educators to make sure that those who teach know what they are doing. There is no value in putting a kid in front of a PC and saying to him:"learn math", what does the kid do when he doesn't understand something, what does he do if he doesn't speak the language properly, is ADHD, just likes to mess around etc...

What you are doing is called "cloud-storming" - it is simply pie in the sky that cannot even be applied properly to those who can afford it, let alone to the masses who would sell the tablet for R50 so as to buy a meal for the day!

This is a bit dehumanizing isn't it Adrian? If the device itself has no secondhand value there will be no reason to steal it. Secondly you have no idea what is happening in townships. It is a given that some places are bad to the bone but it is also true that people are planting there own food, and saved up money for a "charging station" where a solar panel is used to charge 12Volt car batteries that in tern charges there devices. They also purify there own water and the list goes on. Secondly They will spend R800 on a tablet because normal books cost round about R180 per subject I spend about R1k in handbooks for my studies. In total people spend about R6k on subjects per block.

Why do you always have to be like this?

[adrianh]

This is a bit dehumanizing isn't it Adrian? If the device itself has no secondhand value there will be no reason to steal it. Secondly you have no idea what is happening in townships. It is a given that some places are bad to the bone but it is also true that people are planting there own food, and saved up money for a "charging station" where a solar panel is used to charge 12Volt car batteries that in tern charges there devices. They also purify there own water and the list goes on. Secondly They will spend R800 on a tablet because normal books cost round about R180 per subject I spend about R1k in handbooks for my studies. In total people spend about R6k on subjects per block.

Why do you always have to be like this?

Of course people don't live in sqiatter camps, kids don't get shot in Mitchell's Plein, idiots don't run riot in Cape town, people don't burn down libraries in Limpopo, text books are delivered on time to all the schools, parents are all educated and able to help their kidswith math, what else did I forget...oh yes, the moom is made of cheese and Julius Malemacan do Calculus.

[sterne.law@gmail.com]

Given that there is a great idea based upon inherent problems and given that, correctly so, a massive stumbling block has been raised, perhaps one should look at the solutions to the new problem, which is valid and on point.
A modification
A concept of centralised classrooms using able teachers using a technological medium.
Still, a form of bricks and mortar schools, perhaps using existing facilities, church halls, municipal sports halls etc. Students still need to report to this structure. ( rural areas maybe the employment of a 'principle' who has the facilities and the children report to).
And the children still have old school books, alternatively an ebook reader (supplied or bought, situation dependant) with text books on them.

The original scenario presented was actually sorting out the errant teachers and poor teachers, it then ran away and got out of control as enthusiasm overtook reality. Perhaps consideration within the above terms of reference may 're channel this discussion.

On a related note, a proposal such as this could be tabled in front of government, and there is a strong basis, in law, which would almost force there hand to accede to it, provided a plausible plan is presented. It may even border along a concept of privatisation.

[tec0]

Of course people don't live in sqiatter camps, kids don't get shot in Mitchell's Plein, idiots don't run riot in Cape town, people don't burn down libraries in Limpopo, text books are delivered on time to all the schools, parents are all educated and able to help their kidswith math, what else did I forget...oh yes, the moom is made of cheese and Julius Malemacan do Calculus.

Well like I said before if you practice selective reading then so be it. You missed what I said some places are bad. The concept here is "change" obviously that will come with time as it must. The system as is doesn't work can't provide safety and then there is the question of accessibility.

When the child gets the tablet they are "enlisted in the schooling program" weekly progress can be monitored by "online tests" and assignments. This is only to monitor progress and not to award points. Only the final test counts and the child can decide when that is.

With proper web design this will be an easy enough task to provide e-books and study materials and private tutoring is also an option. What we don't need is another building full of criminals gangs and drugs.

This system if implemented can provide much more then what most schools can.

[adrianh]

You live in a dream world, posh private schools can't even get it right. If you think that the average kid is going to look after a tablet then you are mistaken, they can't even look after their pens, let alone their textbooks.

It is very simple, educate the parents to understand the value of allowing their kids to be educated. Educate the educators, a person who does not understand math cannot and should not teach math.

My youngest daughter is somewhat ADHD and she has difficulty concentrating for more than 5 minutes if she doesn't find the material engaging. If you think that she will spend more than 5 minutes trying to figure out how to do a sum on a PC when nobody is looking then you are also mistaken. Teachers need to engage kids, they need to be able to gauge whether the kids understand the work. They need to make allowances for the slow kids and also the fast learning kids. A clever kid will lose interest as quickly as a stupid kid will.

tec0 - you need to understand that pie in the sky is great but reality is somewhat different and a lot harsher. Love and attention doesn't cut it, getting off one's ass and putting in the hours is the only way to learn anything.

[tec0]

tec0 - you need to understand that pie in the sky is great but reality is somewhat different and a lot harsher. Love and attention doesn't cut it, getting off one's ass and putting in the hours is the only way to learn anything.

I think you have the two subjects confused. If it wasn't for the pie in the sky then we would have nothing today. We will still be in caves hunting food with sticks and stones. Anything and everything we have today was an idea once. A dream once seen demands action therefore it is the often if not always the first step towards a better tomorrow.

As for life being harsh... I have seen many evils experience much pain. My life was a nightmare in the happening, so don't talk about "harsh realities" and hard work. Fact is your generation had it easy. Fact is you had choices... we don't. You had a future and squandered it. We have to work twice as hard just to survive.

So if others and I want to envision a future for our children it is our right to do so.

[adrianh]

Fact is your generation had it easy. Fact is you had choices... we don't. You had a future and squandered it. We have to work twice as hard just to survive.

Tell me more, I would love to understand the reasoning behind this statement.

[Blurock]

w.
Fact is your generation had it easy. Fact is you had choices... we don't. You had a future and squandered it. We have to work twice as hard just to survive.

So if others and I want to envision a future for our children it is our right to do so.

I suppose this remark was made out of ignorance. Every generation has its own problems and opportunities. Education has always been expensive and my generation was no exception. We had no internet or access to information like we have today. Only top achievers were awarded a bursary to get into college or university.

I, like many of my generation who could not afford higher education, had to find a job after leaving school. I only started studying at a later age and was fortunate as my employer paid for most of my studies (while I was working full time). I realised the value of ongoing studies and was awarded a masters degree at age 50.

What I have learnt is that Opportunity is what you create for yourself. Do not wait on others to give you an opportunity, create your own. Too many of our people are waiting on others; they wait for the bus, they wait for the taxi, they wait for the manager to tell them what to do, they wait for a job to fall into their lap... You can see them at the station, at the shops, on the streets and everywhere you go. People waiting for tomorrow. Manjana.

Stop waiting for something to happen and go and grab the day. Carpe Diem!

[tec0]

I suppose this remark was made out of ignorance. Every generation has its own problems and opportunities. Education has always been expensive and my generation was no exception. We had no internet or access to information like we have today. Only top achievers were awarded a bursary to get into college or university.

I, like many of my generation who could not afford higher education, had to find a job after leaving school. I only started studying at a later age and was fortunate as my employer paid for most of my studies (while I was working full time). I realised the value of ongoing studies and was awarded a masters degree at age 50.

What I have learnt is that Opportunity is what you create for yourself. Do not wait on others to give you an opportunity, create your own. Too many of our people are waiting on others; they wait for the bus, they wait for the taxi, they wait for the manager to tell them what to do, they wait for a job to fall into their lap... You can see them at the station, at the shops, on the streets and everywhere you go. People waiting for tomorrow. Manjana.

Stop waiting for something to happen and go and grab the day. Carpe Diem!

no ignorance here sir... just that a lot has changed. I have spoken to people age 90, I have spoken to people age 60 and I have my own experiences. Tell you what there are some opportunities that existed back then that doesn't exist today. I am not saying you had a walk in the park. You didn't... But I am saying you had options.

[HR Solutions]

Lol tec I would seriously stop the ignorant comments ...

[adrianh]

Ah @HR, I figured it out.

It is very difficult today because there is no sheltered employment for lazy whites any longer. A young lazybutt in our days could go work at the post office and sleep all day. Yes I agree, it is hard today because of BEE others get to sleep at the post office all day. Although, I must admit, I have seen non-BEE members of our society working as trench diggers. There are now 7 big burly BEE supervisors standing around and 3 non-BEE outjies sleeping on their shovels.

[desA]

Right, everyone has had their rant - let's get back to focusing on the new the SA education system. A brief summary of the idea flow, follows:

1. A large computer monitor/screen in every classroom.
2. Centralised education centre (CEC), where best teachers possible present each subject.
3. Servers at each school (SS).
4. Lessons moved from CEC to SS continuously - in compressed format.
5. Servers de-compress overnight, for next day's lessons.
6. Each classroom has lesson on monitor in classroom.
7. Teachers become 'tutors'/'coaches'.
8. Learners have subject textbooks & work-books. Self education. All in pdf format. Print on site.

Add with that local on site storage so that a lesson can be reviewed at any time by students.

Also it is not necessary to even compress, or even have a local on site server, and IMHO a better solution, simply talk to MNET, and they could add these teaching channels to the satellite dish, and with a decoder, they would have the lessons at real time speed.

The advantages here are that you do not even need ESKOM or electricity, but install a solar system to charge batteries up to power the decoder and TV and you can have a classroom anywhere in the southern tip of Africa. MNET is making so much money from it's subscribers and the addition of annoying adverts during prime time viewing, even though we pay to watch the contents via monthly subscription, that they could earn brownie points for allowing free education content to be transmitted on their spare channels.

My thought here was to have a separate feed/channel for each subject/class. This will mean quite a few simultaneous feeds to classroom. This could be served by a complete education satellite services, with multiple subject channels. Remember this is multiplied across classes/levels/standards.

A lot happening all at once, & a fair signal logistic load. The pre-feed into a server would allow 24h feed, with 6h call-off - allowing a slimming-down of instantaneous traffic from CEC to SS.

We are at a point where a tablet computer cost less R2000 and if the state subsidise it and allow perhaps allow a cool down on import tax these devices can be cheaper. On this device you can have a dedicated 3G network designed to only serve students.

This service can cost you about R60 a month based existing data models. All you need now is downloadable lessons in the form of videos and e-books. Thus the student have access to lessons 24/7 and there handbooks.

The device can be limited and even locked to the point where it can only be used as an educational device so there will be no fooling around on it. The second step is to scrap schools and introduce examination facilities where they will go to write examinations.

They can register when they want to write what subject and can pay a small amount when the go to the physical establishment. Thus allowing them to get there marks immediately thus allowing them to see where they make mistakes and work on it.

This system will give the student freedom to study from home “safely” to write examinations on their own speeds and get educated.

Now I know people will say this is a stupid idea. But I am studying right now and our study group is worth more than the classroom but sadly we don’t have recorded lessons to watch. The above system will work and will be cheaper then maintaining thousands of schools.

Given that there is a great idea based upon inherent problems and given that, correctly so, a massive stumbling block has been raised, perhaps one should look at the solutions to the new problem, which is valid and on point.
A modification
A concept of centralised classrooms using able teachers using a technological medium.
Still, a form of bricks and mortar schools, perhaps using existing facilities, church halls, municipal sports halls etc. Students still need to report to this structure. ( rural areas maybe the employment of a 'principle' who has the facilities and the children report to).
And the children still have old school books, alternatively an ebook reader (supplied or bought, situation dependant) with text books on them.

The original scenario presented was actually sorting out the errant teachers and poor teachers, .... Perhaps consideration within the above terms of reference may 're channel this discussion.

On a related note, a proposal such as this could be tabled in front of government, and there is a strong basis, in law, which would almost force there hand to accede to it, provided a plausible plan is presented. It may even border along a concept of privatisation.

Let's work on building these idea flows into a cohesive plan.

[tec0]

Lol tec I would seriously stop the ignorant comments ...

Yea I am ignorant... wow See the older folks must all be liars then. They claim they could get a job with a st6 or there about. They also claim that they could send their kids "give or take you and Adrian" generation to the military for a trade. Liars the lot of them... Yea this didn’t happen at all...

The reality is this... We have a lot more technology today this is true. That doesn't mean we have it easier. Secondly your studies back then was a lot harder. "see I am man enough to admit it" But you got the chance to train for free. You got free food, free bed and all you had to do was follow orders and study hard. But the one thing you got was practical training. Today I need about R20k to R40k + just to get that training. Companies don't pay for it anymore as they say it is a dead loss. They say this because as soon as the person get qualified they find themselves a better job. "for the most part that is also true"

[tec0]

Right, everyone has had their rant - let's get back to focusing on the new the SA education system. A brief summary of the idea flow, follows:
Let's work on building these idea flows into a cohesive plan.

Right now the technology exists to shape and control data pipelines so that you can use a small bandwidth but would still be able to stream video smoothly. But making the video downloadable I think is the better option this will decrease data demands dramatically.

By allocating protocols to speed restrictions means you can prioritise the data pipe thus allowing for smooth browsing downloading and uploading experiences. Also you can add encryption for safety again without any real difficulty. Also a lot of ISP use these devices so i know they can handle large networks without a problem.

So you will have a secure network and active controls on the data pipelines with speed allocations. The networking side is an easy setup as these devices are available of the self. So no third party development needed.

The website however will need some number crunching so the servers will need to be fast but if you use modern codec’s and PDF compression technology storage and file size will not be a big deal. Today we can put 1 hour worth of audio video into about 60mb or smaller depending on quality. Good quality will go for about 80 to 100mb for 1 hour lesions. I would go for 30minute lesions as the downloads will be smaller quality can be higher thus you get better results.

Sadly from here will need to think about web design I don't have enough experience.

[adrianh]

tec0 - free - you're on the weed again. My brother took loans to pay for each of his degrees. He worked at the drive-in on weekends. My parent paid for his one room flat in JHB. I paid myself to get my NTC4, 5 & 6. My sister worked as a nurse for a couple of years to make some money before she took a loan to get her degrees.

My dad studied for many many years to be a surgeon. He only paid his loans when he turned 40.

tec0 - you seriously need to get in touch with reality. Get off you butt and do something for yourself. Just think you could have already taught yourself calculus from the internet if you spent as much time going through tutorials as you spend whinging and talking trash here.