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Farai Dauramanzi
Herald Correspondent
Government has reaffirmed that schools will remain closed while implementation of the National E-learning Strategy is accelerated.

The strategy was launched during the first quarter of this year.

Speaking during the post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the objective of the National E-Learning Strategy is to transform the education sector through the development of adequate technological capacity for both learners and educators regardless of geographical location or economic circumstance.

“The Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services wishes to accelerate the implementation of the National E-Learning Strategy through the provision of free internet services to 400 schools that already have connectivity but are encountering difficulties in paying monthly bandwidth subscriptions.

“The schools will be provided with data for nine months. An additional 180 rural schools will have been connected by the end of 2021, and will benefit from the same initiative,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

She also explained that in addition to the provision of free access to internet services at Community Information Centres, and Community Village Information Centres, the Government will also meet all operational expenses, inclusive of staff remuneration.

“Taking into cognisance the financial hardships brought about by the Covid-19 outbreak, Cabinet wishes to advise the citizenry that all students, pupils and the general public using these facilities will enjoy free access to internet services at Community Information Centres and Community Village Information Centres for a period of nine months.

“Members of the public will, however, continue to pay for the other services such as printing, scanning and photocopying that are offered at these facilities,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

The National E-Learning Strategy will also be complemented by the UNICEF GIGA Schools Connectivity Project.

The GIGA Schools Connectivity project is a response to the Covid-19 pandemic by UNICEF and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

It has the following pillars; raising funding for schools connectivity, mapping the connectivity status of every school, connecting the unconnected and poorly connected schools to the internet, and linking connected schools and young people to digital public goods that provide job skills and  remote working opportunities, among other benefits.

Minister Mutsvangwa said the overall objective of GIGA in Zimbabwe was to connect every school to the internet and afford every young person access to information.

The GIGA project will be rolled out in all provinces.