One of the most prominent conversation in the last 18 months is around South Africa’s basic education department’s ability to provide affordable data options for learners to access learning material. The 2020 academic year was one of the most challenging for primary and tertiary learners, with the pandemic widening the existing inequality gap.  

Learners from well-off households experienced minor inconveniences while learners from underprivileged backgrounds had a difficult period primarily due exorbitant data prices that made home schooling tough.

Teachers and lecturers were forced to rethink how they teach because the internet replaced physical classroom with online learning. The costs of data not only affected learners but teachers and lecturers as well. This is in addition to familiarising with online teaching tools and platforms. Those with stable internet services and sufficient resources for data thrived while those from impoverished backgrounds were left behind – causing a digital divide in education.  

This is where we see entrepreneurship playing an important role. Applications like ‘Touch To Learn’ and ‘Nubian Smarts’ offer solutions to bridge the digital divide. Touch To Learn aims to solve access to “learning/teaching media or content” in developing countries for millions of consumers with mobile phones who cannot afford data and Nubian Smarts which strives to improve the educational experience of all South African children by creating mobile applications that are dedicated towards making learning fun, make education easily accessible, at almost no cost.

As the country continues to face one of the most challenging economic periods in its history sadly, the internet continues to be viewed as a luxury for most households. This Masterclass will focus on how applications like Touch To Learn and Nubian Smarts try to bridge the gap between data and education and most importantly help students participate in all educational activities.