Legislators have urged the government to reduce the digital divide between urban and rural schools which continues to disadvantage pupils in the latter.
The discontent emerged from the fact finding mission carried out by the portfolio committee on Primary and Secondary Education.
The committe sought to assess the availability of ICT equipment and the extent to which rural schools were able to conduct online lessons during COVID-19 lockdowns among other issues.
During the peak of the COVID19 pandemic government closed schools and introduced online learning in order to curtail the spread of the virus.
The closure of schools gave rise to online learning. The transition was smooth in private and urban schools but was non-existent in most rural schools.
Presenting the report in parliament last Wednesday, Gokwe Chireya legislator Hon Tonderayi Moyo confirmed findings of civil society organisations that had decried the circumstances of rural students during the COVID-19 induced lock-down.
“The Committee also gathered that most schools in rural areas did not manage to conduct online lessons during the COVID-19 era due to lack of the requisite equipment and absence of connectivity to the internet.
“The school administration and the parents could not afford online lessons as most of the learners come from underprivileged families affording a laptop/ICT gadget is considered a luxury,” Moyo said.
Although the ministry of education with other line ministries and stakeholders are spearheading the supply of ICT equipment to schools, the rural schools continue to lag behind.
This is against the second republic mantra of leaving no one behind.
More Computers Needed In Rural Schools.
In agreement, Zaka West legislator Hon Ophias Murambiwa highlighted that some of the schools visited by the committee did not have computers to talk about.
“We noted with great concern that some of the schools had no ICT gadgets at all.
“We also want to thank the Government for availing computers in some of the schools.
“However, in some of the schools that were provided with computers, the computers are not enough.
“Looking at the computer/pupil ratio, you could see that one computer is shared among 15 to 20 pupils.
Murambiwa added that for meaningful learning to occur in rural schools more computers should be provided.
