Coronavirus: Vodacom e-School Platform Nears 1-m Registrations

Vodacom e-School platform is proving to be invaluable for the scores of school-going children at home on extended school break as the country grapples with Corovavirus (COVID-19).

User registration on the platform since schools closed has been unprecedented over the past two weeks with the total number of registered users now close on 1 million.

On Sunday 15 March, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a raft of measures to protect the country from the spread of the COVID-19. Schools closed from Wednesday, 18 March until after Easter Holidays. This meant that parents had to find alternative methods to help their children continue learning during the extended school break.

To show the phenomenal uptake on Vodacom e-School during this time, user registrations on the platform are up by over 1000% compared to previous historic periods. For the time being, content utilisation increased by 300% over previous averages, with Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Accounting topping the charts. The massive sudden increase in registration started on Sunday, 15 March, with Vodacom e-School going from an average of 40 000 student events per day to a peak of close to 150 000.

The strong growth is fuelled by a strong uptake from learners in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. The growth in registrations and usage is expected to continue.

Vodacom e-School is a free, unlimited online education portal that provides educational content for learners in grades R to 12. These include assignments, quizzes and interactive learning videos. The content is fully aligned to the Department of Basic Education National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement and is available in all 11 South African languages. The platform is accessible via mobile and desktop, free of charge to all Vodacom customers.

In partnership with the Department of Education, Vodacom launched the e-learning platform in 2014. This online digital education portal provides educational content that is fully aligned to the Department of Basic Education Curriculum (CAPS) in all 11 South African official languages for learners from grades R to 12.

In order to access the facility, all that users need do is visit www.vodacom.co.za/e-school from their cell phone, tablet or laptop to register. Thereafter, they will enjoy unlimited access to education content. For those who are not customers of Vodacom, data charges will be incurred for logging on to the site.