THEANGLO-AMERICANSOUTHAFRICAEDUCATIONPROGRAMMEISINVESTING INICTTOUPSKILLTHEYOUTHINHOSTCOMMUNITIES The socio-economic development and prosperity of host communities have been a priority for the Anglo-American South African Programme. This is evident as they invest in ICT to equip the youths in host communities with skills that will help them survive and thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
communities as part of the ambitions set out in the Sustainable Mining Plan, a holistic approach to education, from early childhood learning through to matric. According to the organizers, the programme is refocusing investments in education towards enhancing the provision of inclusive, quality education to children in local communities.
According to UNESCO, if all adults completed secondary education, the number of poor people in the world could be
Part of the Programme?s focus has been partnering with teachers to empower them to advance their own technology skills. During 2020, it provided over 600 devices and training to teachers in its host community schools. Earlier this year, the programme launched the ICT Education Project, where it worked with a range of partners ? including infrastructure providers, content creators, device providers, civil society and the Department of Education - to build a model for Image from AngloAmerican website effective ICT in lower-quintile schools that can be scaled across the country.
reduced by more than half. In South Africa, education has always been a vital lever in the fight against the country?s triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. For this reason, Anglo American aims to provide a meaningful future for our youth that goes beyond employability. A significant number of schools in South Africa have limited to no internet connectivity, which is essential for modern education and school administration. There are several reasons for this, including the associated costs and the poor return on investment for internet service providers, but it?s a challenge we must overcome. Anglo American?s Education Programme came to their rescue with their commitment to building thriving
This broader approach, where there is both a focus on empowering teachers and students, is deemed to help facilitate an environment where students can both self-learn, and incorporate technology into actual teaching methods and approaches as they progress. This way, there is hope to build a growing cohort of technology-savvy young people who will be able to grab the opportunities that the Digital Age offers them. The Anglo American Programme is encouraging organizations across South Africa that are interested in achieving the same goals to partner with them and free their country from poverty. 64
The Diaspora - African Magazine | October 2021
