E-EDUCATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
FOR THE
BASIC EDUCATION SECTOR
2014 – 2019

• Goal of the White Paper on e-Education
(2004) is yet to be achieved .
“Every South African learner in GET & FET will be ICT capable by 2013”
• Basic Education sector is unable to leverage on the potential of ICTs to improve the quality, accessibility, equity and learner attainment.

• Limited ICT infrastructure available in schools nationally by 2010:
 6 245 schools (25%) had computers for teaching and learning,
 13 011 (51%) had ICT for administrative purposes.
• ICT infrastructure disparities among and within provinces.
• Major PDE constraints include:
 Inadequate or lack of budget .
 Shortage of necessary resources (human & physical).
 Inadequate state of e-readiness at schools (human & physical).
 Competing priorities.

• Audit of ICT initiatives in all provinces was conducted in 2013
• Audit findings on e-Education implementation:
 Implementation visible but slow paced
 Private sector & NGOs played significant role but
ICT initiatives uncoordinated, unsustainable, scattered & unfocused hence limited impact
 Initiatives not comprehensive (No training/content)
 Lack or inadequate human capacity
 Lack or inadequate connectivity

• Plan aims to increase access to ICT to support curriculum delivery & improve learner attainment.
• Plan updates & adds detail to the White Paper on e-Education (2004) as well as sets new targets for ICT access in schools
• Plan is mainly grounded on 4 strategic objectives:
1.
Electronic content resource development and distribution
2.
ICT professional development for management, teaching and learning
3.
Access to ICT infrastructure
4.
Connectivity

• New Government policies, plans (NDP) & priorities;
• Lessons learnt (Khanya & GoL);
• Available technologies & suitability;
• Phased implementation approached;
• Standards for Internet access for schools;
• Use of FOSS & OERs;
• Delineated roles & responsibilities of stakeholders;
• Advisory oversight committee;
• Access to quality educational material;
• Dissemination of school-based best practice;
• Monitoring & evaluation of the new e-Education initiative.

• The plan consists of two parts:
 Part 1: Implementation Approach
• Section 1: Introduction
• Section 2: Implementation Approach
• Section 3: Deliverables and Activities to be led by the
DBE
• Section 4: Deliverables and Activities to be led by
PEDs
• Section 5: Deliverables to be led by the DTPS
• Section 6: Enabling the implementation of the eeducation
 Part 2: Individual Provincial Implementation Plans
• Section 7: Individual Provincial Implementation Plans

• National targets will guide the implementation.
• Benchmarks and annual targets will be set for each strategic objective>
 No. of schools with ICT facilities (Admin &
Teaching & Learning )
 No. of schools with access to connectivity
(Admin & Teaching & Learning )
 No. of schools with access to offline & online electronic content resources.
 No. of teachers at various ICT skills proficiency levels (basic, intermediate & advanced).

1. Department of Basic Education (DBE) will lead:
 Electronic content resource development and distribution
2. Provincial Education Departments (PDEs) will lead :
 ICT professional development for management, teaching and learning
 Access to ICT infrastructure
3. Department of Telecommunications and Postal
Services will lead:
 Connectivity

• Plan outlines a framework for specific priorities and actions to be implemented over a period of 5 years.
 Year 1- 2014/15
 Year 2- 2015/16
 Year 3- 2016/17
 Year 4- 2017/18
 Year 5- 2018/19

Activity 4: Rollout the Educational Network
• This activity will lead to the utilization of the connectivity provided to schools facilitating the access to the eadministrative Virtual Private Network (VPN), e-learning Virtual Private Network; and use of electronic means to communicate with Provincial offices.
The Educational Network is currently under construction (dbecloud)
Breakdown and numeric targets for schools connectivity for the next 5 years in line with National Broadband Policy
Base line
SCHOOLS' CONNECTIVITY
Schools without connectivity
Year 2 (2015-16) Year 3 (2016-17) Year 4 (2017-18)
Connecte d schools for Admin
% of
Connected schools for
Admin
Connected schools for
T&L
% of connected schools for
Teaching &
Learning
Admin
Purpose
Teaching &
Learning
50% of all schools have access to the eadmin VPN
50% of all schools have access to e-
80% of all schools have access to education
VPN the eadmin VPN
65% of all schools have access to an
100% of all schools have access to the
ICT facility for T&l e-admin VPN
80% of all schools have access to an
ICT facility for
T&l
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
MP
NC
NW
WC
24434 7076
5562 0
1327 843
2183 1489
5937 1405
3924
1948
553 354
1542 1542
1458 1443
29
0
64
100
0
0
99
64
68
24
5227
255
275
2097
853
162
137
238
1210
21 17358
5
25
15
0
8
83
21
96
14
5562
484
694
4532
3924
1948
199
0
15
19207 5207
5307 1669
1052 145
86 208
5084 1360
3924 1177
1786 584
416
1304
248
60
0
5
5762 8679
1592 2781
316 242
26 347
1525 2266
1177 1962
536 974
125
391
74
100
0
8
9604 13886 12485
2654 4450
526 387
43 555
2542 3626
1962 3139
893 1558
208
652
124
159
0
12
3450
684
56
3305
2551
1161
270
848
161
17358
5562
484
694
4532
3924
1948
199
0
15
15366
4246
842
69
4067
3139
1429
333
1043
198

• Adequate funding for e-Education implementation nationally
• Management structures to give effect to this Plan:
 Advisory Oversight Committee ( HEDCOM ICT Subcommittee)
 ICT Inter-provincial forum
• Partnerships for e-Education implementation
 Department of Telecommunications & Postal Services
(DTPS)
 Department of Science & Technology (DST)
 Department of Higher Education & Training (DHET)
 Private sector & NGOs
• Coordination of a national system for e-Education implementation.

Website: www.education.gov.za
Call Centre: 0800 202 933 | callcentre@dbe.gov.za
Twitter: @DBE_SA | Facebook: DBE SA