advertisement
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit

Democratisation of education a key focus for iTMaster and partners like HP

The dust is beginning to settle with regard to the pandemic in South Africa. The full toll of its impact, however, is yet to be tallied, especially for some of the harder hit sectors like education.

Over the past two years we have seen learners, educators and parents alike struggle to complete the curriculum under testing conditions. It could potentially result in a generation of learners who are left behind as the systems in place were inadequate.

To ensure this does not happen, those who embrace innovative solutions have turned to technology in order to deliver digitally enabled and distance learning experiences.

One of the local service providers helping to bring this to fruition is iTMaster, with the organisation acutely aware of the effects that the pandemic has had on the country’s education system.

Bridging education’s digital divide

While service providers in other sectors chose to scale back commitments, the pandemic has seen iTMaster redouble its efforts in terms of not only developing and delivering digital solutions in the education sector, but also ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place, alongside critical training and support to keep things going.

“IT has been a critical component in mobilising and enabling the economy, as many of our customers needed to be online, in order to educate, work and connect with the rest of the world which presented a great opportunity for us to become a service provider to a broader market,” explains iTMaster CEO, Stanton Pillay, on the company’s reaction to the pandemic.

It is why iTMaster has created and refined a comprehensive turnkey solution for this space over the years, while also leveraging the expertise and support of technology partners like HP to assist in democratising education in South Africa.

Ensuring that opportunities to access educational resources are available to all, remains a key focus for iTMaster moving forward, particularly as the pandemic has emphasised the ever expanding digital divide that exists in this country as the issue of connectivity across the spectrum of society still requires solving.

“One of our big drives during the pandemic has been education and schools. We’ve assisted more than 4 000 schools in South Africa, many of which are rural schools, and what we have noticed in the pandemic is the digitally elite versus the digitally deprived. Seeing that disparity sparked passion within our organisation to make a difference,” he emphasises.

The company is not all talk either, setting itself ambitious goals for the short and long-term with regard to democratising education and empowering access, especially in rural communities.

Being ambitious about objectives

To that end, iTMaster is aiming to assist 400 000 learners with access to technology and a digital platform by 27th February 2022, while targeting as many as one million students by 27th February of 2024.

On top of this, the organisation has also rolled out solutions at 140 institutions that specifically handle students with learning disabilities. “It is something we feel truly honoured to be a part of,” beams Pillay.

Such goals are only achieved through collaboration, which is why iTMaster has turned to the likes of HP, which not only has the devices available for learners to access digital solutions and tools, but also the experience of running similar education-focused initiatives in other parts of the globe.

“Our relationship with iTMaster started well before the pandemic. It is an important relationship for our company as it is not a traditional partner relationship. The reason for this, is that we’re normally looking for where our devices can serve a need. The difference when it comes to working with iTMaster is that we didn’t just stop there,” explains Yesh Surjoodeen, regional director for Southern Africa at HP.

“We asked about the long-term goal and when we speak about innovation and the bigger picture, this forms the basis of many of our discussions with iTMaster and why we have chosen to collaborate with them so closely on these initiatives and projects,” he adds.

Together the pair aims to make the democratisation of education in South Africa a reality and wish to work with like minded organisations and educators.

To find out more about iTMaster, its services and objectives over the coming years, reach out to the company on its website.

[Image – Photo by Sir Manuel on Unsplash]

advertisement

About Author

advertisement

Related News

advertisement