• At its Corporate Sustainable Development Forum last month, Huawei detailed several of its initiatives across the globe.
• Locally this includes the DigiSchool programme, which is working with NGO Click Learning to address digital literacy.
• The initiative has connected almost 100 urban and rural primary schools across South Africa since it began in 2020.

Last month Huawei held its Corporate Sustainable Development Forum in China, where it announced among other projects, a pledge to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that it would connect 120 million people across the globe by 2025.

To reach that lofty goal, Huawei plans to roll out new initiatives aimed at connectivity, as well as bolstering efforts on existing ones. Locally that includes the DigiSchool, which began in 2020 and to date has connected nearly 100 urban and rural primary schools across South Africa, with a further 50 000 learners benefitting from a result.

Moving forward, the DigiSchool will prove an important initiative for Huawei, as digital literacy is one of the areas it is placing much of its focus in terms of its corporate sustainability objectives.

“Many people around the world remain unconnected. So connecting them is the first step. This will give them greater access to knowledge, digital skills training, and opportunities,” noted Dr. Liang Hua, Chairman of the Board, during the aforementioned CSD Forum.

“In this new era, where everything will be connected, connectivity will be more than just a tool for convenient communications. Together with digital technologies like cloud and AI, connectivity will help bring everyone into the digital world and drive social progress,” he added.

Looking at local connectivity needs in schools, Huawei cites research from the University of Pretoria which found that 78 percent of South African Grade 4 children cannot read for meaning in any language. As such the need to address digital literacy in the country is a dire one.

Added to this is equally concerning research from PMG that merely 49 percent of South African schools have some form of connectivity, of which only 20 percent use it for teaching and learning.

This is where Huawei believes its initiative begun in 2020 can provide much needed assistance.

“The DigiSchool programme responds directly to the concern, by providing schools with equipment to connect to the Internet via Rain’ s 5G or 4G networks, and exposing learners to digital tools and materials that have a proven track record of improving reading, comprehension and digital skills,” explained Huawei in a press release sent to Hypertext.

“Huawei believes that programmes like DigiSchool, form a critical part of its corporate role in the countries in which it operates. Huawei’s programmes of the kind under the overarching concept TECH4ALL, had benefited more than 110,000 people by the end of 2021, driving broader digital inclusion worldwide,” it concluded.

Here’s hoping the DigiSchool programme can continue to provide access to connectivity, technology and digital literacy, as the digital divide is a chasm that needs to be closed.

[Image – Provided]