The State Information Technology Agency (Sita) has launched a cyber lab in the deep rural Ntafufu Senior Secondary School in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape.
This is in an effort to have technology tools available in all parts of the country to cultivate learners who can use information and communications technology (ICT) to develop solutions to challenges faced by South Africa.
Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele said the lab programme will also be rolled out to five more schools.
The benefiting schools are in North West, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
The Sita will return to the schools after the rollout to challenge them to have an in-house competition to see which of the schools used the opportunity to the best of their ability.
“As learners you must use this cyber lab well. Work really hard and excel. IT [information technology] gives students confidence, it gives them self-belief,” said Gungubele.
“This cyber lab gives students tools to learn new ways of learning, show skills and to be able to compete with other countries, because other countries are way ahead of us.
“As we hand over the cyber lab, we are giving keys to the future to you. The future is cyber. We hope to produce from this school engineers, ICT advisors and leaders who will take this department and Sita itself forward.
“There will be no fulfilling return on investment than that.”
He said his department has done its bit by gifting the school with the cyber lab, noting that pupils should not drift away from the idea that this is an opportunity to be creative.
He added that the South Africa Connect national broadband policy of 2013 aims to achieve universal internet access by 2030.
“Embedding information and communication technology into our schools and curriculums is critical for any form of economic participation post-secondary school.
“Young people who do not have digital skills and who cannot access the internet will not be equipped to participate in the digital economy.
“This is but one dimension to the South Africa Connect policy objectives,” said Gungubele.
He said the smart use of technology has the power to improve the quality of education in various ways that will be beneficial to the country.
This includes wealth of information, knowledge and increasing opportunities for different methods of learning.
He said: “In the department’s 2023/24 budget speech, we announced interventions to ensure access through SA Connect to the value of R1.3-billion, and Sita plays a role.
“To complement the SA Connect programme, I added that Sita will launch a national broadband project to the value of about R6-billion. These are all aimed at making the lives of our people better.
“The Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution has identified and recommended to us specific areas of focus as a country to ensure that we are not left behind as the world takes advantage of advances in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We must become more advanced when it comes to artificial intelligence, robotics, etc. The digital economy is the economy of the future.
“It is young people’s economy. Young men and women must lead the way.”
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