Overview & Agenda
Like their urban counterparts, many rural residents face extreme levels of poverty. It is no surprise, then, that rural education has struggled since the beginning. This poverty contributes to lower educational attainment in rural schools. Only one in 10 people from low-income families attain a bachelor’s degree by the age of 25. Rural districts face an even harder task than their urban counterparts in improving these statistics; at the turn of the century, an urban resident had a 10 to 15 percent higher chance of going to university than a rural resident.
Join us, as we try to bring rural education to the same level as that of the urban student.
All this, coupled with funding disparities, the burden of transportation, shortage of teachers, technology and internet connectivity has increased further the gap between the urban and rural student.
Access to water and energy has also been detrimental to the development of rural education in Africa. The scarcity of basic services has also added the woes of rural education departments and officials. Teachers face the daunting task of commuting on a daily basis as accommodation is also a problem for them and this leads to an exodus of teachers moving to urban areas for greener pastures.
This 2-day event filled with tracks, demonstrations, exhibitions and presentations seeks to address these disparities and socio-economic issues that have continued to haunt the progress of the rural teacher and student. It will also delve on technology and access to internet for rural students. The pandemic has even had greater effect on rural education, now that students have been introduced to schooling remotely.
Who Should Attend?
- Principals/Headmasters/Headmistresses
- Head of Departments
- Instructional technologists
- Educators/Teachers/Sub-Teachers
- Virtual Education Specialists
- Course designers
- Department of Basic /Higher Education
- Basic Education Researchers
- Human Resources Managers
- Education Administrators
- Blended Education Specialists
- Government Education Personnel
- International Education Development Cooperation
- Learning Support
- E-Learning Specialists
- M-Learning Specialists
- Learning and Development Managers
- Oversight and Monitoring Officials
- Researchers
- Curriculum Designers
- Education Policy Makers
- Teachers & Instructors
- Technology and Service Providers
- e-Learning Software Providers
- Consultants
- Social Workers
- Advocacy
- Health Professionals
- Vertical Companies/Organisations
- Parents/Guardians
- Journalists/Writers/Authors
- Network Providers
- Coding & Robotics Professionals
- School District Administrators
- School Governing Bodies
- Foundations
- TVET Colleges
DAY ONE
| Thursday, August 18-2022
- 07:00 - 08:00 | Arrivals & Registrations
- 08:20 - 08:30 | Introductions & Welcome Remarks
-
08:30 - 09:15 | Key Note Address - Melanie Vermaak
Rural Online Learning in the Context of COVID-19 in South Africa: Evoking an Inclusive Education Approach
TRACK
MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM
MODERATOR:
ANITA VAN VUUREN
BREAKAWAY 1
MODERATOR:
DR. AYANDA DELIWE
BREAKAWAY 2
MODERATOR:
BABALWA PUZI
09:15 -09:55
Craig Paxton
Executive Director
Axium Education
JJ Chirumanzi
Regional Manager
Amajingqi Public School
Public School Partnership in the Rural Eastern Cape
Babalwa Mtumtum
Development Manager
Amajingqi Public School
Aunyana Moloisane
Managing Director
Optimi Classroom
TBA
Wesley Lynch
Founder & CEO
Snapplify
Driving meaningful change through innovation and collaboration.
09:55 -10:10
Coffee/Tea Break
Coffee/Tea Break
Coffee/Tea Break
10:10-10:40
Sikumbuzo Mayaba
Regional Business Manager
Fundi SA
Fundi, Enabling the Educational Dreams of South Africans, for Today and Tomorrow.
Viloshnee Singh
Founder and CEO
V4 Group
Chemistry and Careers in the age of 4IR
Grace Kironde
Chief Executive Officer
Digital Springboard
Digital Content for Africa's Classrooms.
10:40 -11:20
Angie Maloka
Sales Manager: Education & Community Programmes
MTN SA Foundation
MTN Foundation SA: Using Technology To Overcome Covid-related Barriers in Education
Anita Van Vuuren
Deputy Chief Education Specialist
Western Cape Department of Education
Digital teaching and learning in practice: My road map
Dolan Govender
CEO/Founder
Edutech Institute
The Growing Need for personalised and adaptive learning using technology for Math.
11:20-12:00
Allan Mushabe
CEO
Lightbulb Education
How we are taking the complexity out of online learning and training.
Dr. Ayanda Deliwe
Lecturer/Researcher
Nelson Mandela University
Best practices for Rural Education.
Georg Schlunz
Product Development Manager
CSIR
TBA
12:00 -12:40
Marius Heunis
Chief Technical Officer
Niflink
PRODUCT DEMONSTRATION- Data usage for the future generation in Education
12:40-13:00
EXHIBITION BREAK
EXHIBITION BREAK
EXHIBITION BREAK
13:00 -14:00
LUNCH BREAK
14:00 -14:40
Merle Mansfield
Programme Director
Zero Dropout Campaign
Prevention of School Dropout and the role of e-learning interventions
Agyei Fosu
Department of Information Technology
Walter Sisulu University
The Digital Global Economic Evolution and Rural Education: What is the way forward?
Grover Abrahams
Managing Director: Learning and Systems
Verve Digital-Learning & Systems
The impact future skills have on current students (Why school learners should start now!)
14:40-15:20
Réjane Woodroffe
Director / Founder
Bulungula Incubator
'Supporting Education Catch-up in Government Schools with iiTablet Tshomiz'
Bekithemba Dube
Senior Lecturer and Program Director
University of the Free State
The effects of online learning on rural students.
Jaco Myburgh
Chief Executive Officer
TTS Consulting & Design
Digital Micro Learning based the subject Engineering Graphics and Design
15:20 -16:00
Edumisa Mtoli
Chief Operations Officer
Izibalo NPC
Developing Future Problem Solvers Today
Noluthando Mqakelana
Partnerships Manager
Data Innovators
Factors driving new technology tool adoption
Mojaki Finger
Managing Director
Next Level Learning
TBA
DAY TWO
Friday, August 19- 2022
- 07:00 - 08:00 | Arrivals & Registrations
- 08:20 - 08:30 | Introductions & Welcome Remarks
-
08:30 -09:15 | Key Note Address - Micheal Goodman/Heinrich Dirk
The Importance of social and emotional learning in South Africa
TRACK
MAIN CONFERENCE ROOM
MODERATOR:
ANITA VAN VUUREN
BREAKAWAY 1
MODERATOR:
DR. AYANDA DELIWE
BREAKAWAY 2
MODERATOR:
NWABISA MBELEKANE
09:15 -09:55
Dr. Ron Beyers
Owner
Young Engineers and Scientists of Africa
“E-Education Platforms in Rural South Africa”
Eugene Pelteret
Co-Founder
Reflective Learning
Using technology to catch-up backlogs in Maths
Elvis Kafilongo
Digital Services Manager – Education Specialist
Digital Innovative Solutions
4IR technology to decrease the educational divide between rural and urban learners in South Africa
09:55 -10:10
Coffee/Tea Break
Coffee/Tea Break
Coffee/Tea Break
10:10-10:40
Zaheera Soomar
Global Education and Skills
Anglo American
Anglo American Education Programme: Improving education in rural schools
Gerald Williamson
CEO
Shaping the Learner
Youth-led, Technology-Driven Intervention to Support Quality Education
Kamohelo Makwela
Project Manager
Resolute Robotics Foundation
Resolute Robotics Rural Revolution
10:40 -11:20
Christopher de Beer
Director: Sales & Marketing
Qualibooks Holdings Pty Ltd
kibooks.online, the digital reading platform for children and the future of libraries, today!
Don Haripersad
Curriculum Development and Support
WesternCapeEducation Department
Moving toward hybrid modes of education – The Telematics School Project
Sipho Mtombeni
Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager
Google Southern Africa
Google's interventions in the education space
11:20-12:00
Paul Rencken
Corporate and Business Development Manager
FEDSAS
Governance in the Rural Education landscape
Babalwa Puzi
Senior Education Specialist- Buffalo City Metro District
Eastern Cape Department of Education
Digitalization of Education in rural schools: transforming multi-grade teaching trends.
Nicolaas Liebenberg
Operations Manager
Sisonke Software Solutions
Classroom management / Remote Control / Digital Security
12:00 -12:40
Mashiya Pithi
Programme Manager
Yenzokuhle-Axium Education
Nobalisa and Yenzokuhle: programmes advancing literacy and maths in rural schools
Craig Paxton
Executive Director
Axium Education
Reon Sibiya
Account Manager
Sisonke Software Solutions
TBA
Lutho Siyabulela Kota-Mgwali
Director: E-Teaching and Learningr
Eastern Cape Department of Education
Up scaling of remote teaching and learning post Covid 19.
12:40-13:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
PANEL DISCUSSION
PANEL DISCUSSION
13:00 -14:00
LUNCH BREAK
14:00 -14:40
Sikhululekile Mashingaidze
Researcher
Good Governance Africa
'One size does not fit all...' : Covid 19 and the deepening educational inequality
Patricia Nofumba
SES-eLearning Coordinator
Eastern Cape Department of Education
Preparing for Education 4.0-How Disruptive Technologies are Reshaping the Education System In SA
Janine Davids
General Manager
Skills Enhancement Group SA (SEGSA)
Adult Basic Education and Training
14:40-15:20
Nwabisa Mbelekane
Co-Founder
Funda Lali
Bridging the Digital Divide - a non-profit organisation's experience at a rural, multi-grade primary school in the Eastern Cape
Mrs. Carien Vorster
Project Manager Roger Federer Foundation
Digital education and peer learning for preschool educators in rural communities in Africa
Geoffrey van der Voortms
Circuit Inspector Western Cape Department of Education