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Shepherd Chimururi Youth Interactive Correspondent

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should introduce competitions to promote sustainable e-learning programmes in schools. This should be done if the nation is to achieve of one of the key pillars of the STEM based Education 5.0.  The transition from chalk and talk type of education to blended education is facing resistance from various quarters.

It is not a secret that at this age and time some school heads and teachers are still computer illiterate. To them buying computers for learners is a waste of resources. 

Not that money for that is forever scarce. No. their top priorities are on old school types of development priorities. It boggles the mind to observe that a school that has the temerity to order parents of infant learners to buy computer toys that cost average of US$60 has no computer library. 

This clearly points out that financial resources are not the issue but priorities.

As for primary schools and early childhood education centres, progressive wisdom on the computer crisis shows that e-learning infrastructure can be built if funds being wasted buying short living computer toys are channelled towards buying real computers not just for display but for digital empowerment of students.

Education resource strategists need to come up together to see how to pool together resources that can make every school and e-school. 

In Rwanda there is an initiative called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). It was started in 2008 by ensuring that there are at least 5 schools in every district that are running the programme.

There is a need to create awareness not just to teachers alone but to parents on importance of supporting digitilisation of schools regardless of location. 

The urban — rural digital gap needs to be bridged. That will also work wonders as the cure for perennial poor pass rates by rural schools.

On the other hand, parents need to understand why it is crucial to introduce e-learning at schools. Yes there is a sizeable number of parents who are actually demanding e-learning services at schools because they do not want their children to be left behind in the global village. 

Nevertheless, the majority still needs to be conscientised and given a little nudge to understand and support the digital struggle.

Getting the word out there about importance of e-learning like the efforts done on health programmes like immunization of polio and girl child rights will do some good.  The simple fact is digital rights are students rights too. 

No child should learn without a computer. That is depriving a the child a basic right. It is there in the United Nations Sustainable development Goals list which Zimbabwe ratified. It is actually number 5 on the list to be more specific.

Back to the proposal to promote e-learning in schools, the parent ministry can partner like minded organisations to recoginise and reward schools that would have done enough to warrant the title e-e-learning centre of excellence. 

The schools can be classified according to their base of resources so that the recognition is inclusive of efforts of schools in under resourced communities. 

A head at a school without a computer can be considered a hero should the school fundraise and buy even 20 education compatible computers.

The responsible ministry can partner with like minded organisations and the corporate world to recognise and schools that would have excelled not just in acquiring ICT gadget but schools with students who are utilising the gadgets for educational purposes. 

Digital skills of the students need to be put to test before rewarding the schools.

On their part, schools can do more to promote e-learning by creating accounts on social media and post their progress, organise functions where students showcase their digital skills in the presence of parents, invite media to the functions, participate in international twinning, etc.

The gospel of e-learning has to be spread for the benefit of students who are in under resourced schools.