The Herald

Econet rolls out digital learning platform

Mobile telecommunications giant, Econet Wireless yesterday rolled out a digital educational platform that will increase access by university students and lecturers to learning materials.
The platform, dubbed EcoSchool, has been on a pilot at the University of Zimbabwe for the past six months and allows students using the Econet network to access educational websites for free.

Students who are registered on the EcoSchool platform can access the learning materials on smartphones, tablets as well as on computers.
Econet Services chief executive Darlington Mandivenga said the platform would be accessible to all universities beginning this today.
“Eco-school encourages you to learn at your own pace, like distance learning,” he said.

It is estimated the platform would enable students to save up to 90 percent on textbooks.
EcoSchool has also been combined with Econet Zero, another platform launched earlier which allowed users free access to over 60 educational websites.
EcoSchool consists of a library where students can access textbooks as well as a chat platform which allows lecturers and students to share and discuss ideas.

Besides Econet, a number of local companies are also taking advantage of improved access to new technologies in the country to improve access to educational material for students across all sectors via e-learning. – New Ziana.