The government wants to centralise procurement of thousands of laptops and tablets for tertiary students who need to access online learning as lockdown restrictions keep campuses under lock and key.
Higher education minister Blade Minister confirmed to a briefing of parliamentary committees on Thursday that all tertiary students who are funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and are registered at public universities and at technical and vocational education and training colleges in 2020, will have access to an appropriate digital device to support them to complete the 2020 academic year.
Nzimande said they were acquiring them centrally for TVET colleges and recommending the same for universities, but they would allow those institutions that have already started giving devices out, or think it's better if they provide the devices themselves to do so, provided that “we are convinced that their own individual institutions' plan are in line with our planning”.
He said the plan is for the devices not to be free and for students to own them, so that they take responsibility for them. Meanwhile MPs heard that from June 1, all universities will offer some form of remote multi-modal flexible teaching and learning, supported by approved resourced plans.
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