Question NW632 to the Minister of Basic Education
18 May 2020 - NW632
Thembekwayo, Dr S to ask the Minister of Basic Education
Whether her department is putting measures in place to provide learners with WIFI?
Reply:
School connectivity is the mandate of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT). Since the financial year 2014/201, the then Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services placed obligations on Network Operators to connect schools as part of their licensing obligations. A total of 5 250 schools were to be connected by 2019/2020 April. This number included ordinary schools and special schools. All the ordinary schools under these obligations, have been connected; and work has started to bring connectivity into special schools. This connectivity did not include provision of Wi-Fi into schools.
Department of Basic Education (DBE) will consider engaging the DCDT to instal Wi-Fi in schools in the next phase of connectivity rollouts to schools. We hope and believe that DCDT fully understands the technological advancements that include Wi-Fi Technologies.