Lerule-Ramakhanya budgets R300 million to buy tablets for e-learning
If the Limpopo MEC of Education has her way, R300 million will be spent to buy tablets for e-learning this year.
Mavhungu LeruleRamakhanya said this during the 2024/5 Department of Education budget speech on Thursday, March 14. “We requested R300m for the e-learning strategy towards procurement of tablets, but we have so far received R100m. We have procured 35 000 tablets for Gr 1 and Gr 8 for the 2024 cohort of learners,” she said. She said the department intends to procure tablets for especially Gr 10 and Gr 11, “so that it becomes easier for them to acquaint themselves with the gadgets before reaching Gr 12”.
“We have witnessed that e-learning is the way to go in Gr 12. One of our districts, Mopani West, managed to distribute tablets to all their Gr 12 learners and it improved performance,” she said. The MEC also promised continued support for learners with disabilities to assist them with their day-to-day learning. “We have delivered technological braille assistive devices and hearing equipment to Setotolwane, Rivoni, Letaba, Bosele, Siloe, and Tshilidzini special schools. Ten buses designed specifically for challenged learners in their different categories have also been procured,” she added.
Also read: Treasury MEC to deliver provincial budget in Lebowakgomo
She said that the department will continue its rapid intervention plan focussing on the bottom three districts, namely, Sekhukhune East, Sekhukhune South, and Mopani East. “The plan is to focus on all underperforming circuits and schools in the three districts. The efforts of 2023 made us proud because we do not have an underperforming district.
As a result, all three districts improved their performance by more than 9%.” She said they have set aside R23m to continue servicing the current cohort of 332 teaching interns while beginning the processes of recruiting a new cohort for the 2025/26 – 2026/27 financial year; R13.1m for the training of administrative support staff; R42.9m for the training of the different categories of educators; and R21.4m for initial teacher education including the early childhood development (ECD) sector and ECD practitioners.
