The organisation now provides blended learning to 90 toddlers aged three and four-and-a-half.
Blended learning is an approach which integrates classroom-based training with additional e-learning components to address a specific learning requirement. In most cases, in the rural context, e-learning is absent from a child’s school curriculum, right through their school career.
“One of the objectives of each digital learning centre is to infuse learning into an entire community,” says GWF CEO, Kate Groch. “We have four digital learning centres and each one is reaching adults, children and toddlers too.”
Mpilo Preschool (Mkhuhlu) has been introduced to the Hazyview Digital Learning Centre programme, Happy Homes and Ntshuxekani preschools (Justicia) to the Madlala Digital Learning Centre, and Londolozi crèche to the Londolozi Digital Learning Centre.
Glory Malatjie, manager of Mpilo Preschool, says for all of her children this is their first time using tablet computers. “The repetition of the apps is great for basic development like counting, and the children are exposed to a lot more English.”
The extension of open learning into rural preschools in Mpumalanga is being funded by Johannesburg-based philanthropy group, Charities Unlimited.
GWF would like to take this opportunity to thank Sandy Hird and the Charities Unlimited trustees for standing behind the GWF vision to challenge education: The how, the what and the “who has access”.
