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?

DAY ONE

| Thursday, August 18-2022

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

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

Strategies employed to enhance grade 12 results in an underperforming high school – a case study from the Western Cape