The glaring digital divide … two worlds of e-learning

ROXANE BAYER and HILENI NEMBWAYAEVERY morning Andrew* goes jogging before returning home to log onto his computer to start with his online classes for the day.He is a Grade 9 pupil at Windhoek International School (WIS).

Andrew says he frequently listens to music while doing his assignments online as this helps him focus better.

With remote learning, Andrew says he now has extra time to make sure he understands his school work, and is in regular contact with his teachers.

After a few hours of completing online assignments for the day, he relaxes and sits down to enjoy his gaming console.

Before the announcement came that schools would be closed from 16 March, Windhoek International School had a plan to prepare for the closure of schools through distance or e-learning.

Andrew learns by watching videos about certain topics. He says remote learning gives him a sense of what university might be like.

He adds having constant access to the internet is a challenge, but his teachers have so far been very understanding when it comes to the submission of assignments.

“Not going to school allows me to do many more things throughout the day, but I miss my friends and teachers. We do have hangouts, but it’s not the same as real physical human interaction,” said Andrew. has withheld Andrew’s real identity as his parents could not be reached to give consent for the interview.

Although private schools like WIS have pupils like Andrew who have full access to resources, pupils in rural areas are presented with a different scenario.

Julia Gabriel is a Grade 8 pupil at Iihenda Combined School at Oshitayi village in Oluno circuit in the Oshana region. Like all other pupils, Gabriel has been unable to attend school since the lockdown.

But she says accessing her school activities via a Whats­App group created by her class teacher has not been easy.

Gabriel does not have a smartphone or electricity at home.

At times, her classmates alert her of activities posted on the group, but she cannot view them.

“Most of my classmates are way ahead of me. Another challenge is internet access, I do not have money to buy data bundles – even if I did have a smartphone. If the situation continues, many of us will be left out because of the challenges we are faced with,” she says.

Many of her classmates that have access to the internet have so far commenced with their activities and she is lagging behind. Gabriel’s dilemma is shared by Johanna Peter, a Grade 10 pupil at Reverend Juuso Shikongo Secondary School in Oshikoto region.

Peter says she also does not own a smartphone and cannot access her assignments on Whatsapp like some of her classmates. She will have to rely on her teachers to print out her classwork which she needs to personally collect afterwards.

Kauna Paulus, an unemployed parent living in a remote village near Ondangwa, says she does not fully understand digital learning and what is expected of parents to assist their children.

“I’m an unemployed mother of three children and we do not have electricity. I cannot even afford to buy a smartphone for my children. I do not own one either, so how are my children going to access digital learning? I go for weeks without airtime, because I cannot afford it. We are just hearing about all these digital learning things on the radio. The government should do something to help us, or else our children will be forced to sit again next year,” she says.

Many parents fear their children may be forced to drop out of school due to the current disruption of their education.

Petrus Hamunyela, a teacher at Onghulo Combined School, told The Namibian the school has resorted to teaching via WhatsApp.

“We have added all the pupils with smartphones to the group and give them class activities via WhatsApp. We are planning on printing out class activities for pupils with no phones, and request them to collect their activities at school,” Hamunyela says.

He says another challenge with digital learning is that many pupils with smartphones do not have access to the internet.

They are forced to purchase data bundles and many of them cannot afford it.

“They are responding well to digital learning though and are asking questions. The interaction is really good so far,” he says.

“Most of the activities are a revision of what they have already been taught. It is difficult to start a new lesson, because most of them do not have smartphones or electricity at home. Some have to walk long distances to charge their phones.

“Currently we have about 200 pupils registered on the group and are hoping to get more. We are prioritising those in Grade 11 and 12, because we want them to be fully prepared for their final examinations,” Hamunyela said.

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