''ICT Barriers in South African Education''

South Africa is still a slowly developing nation faced with a lot of social issues which become boundaries that lead to Government deviating from other parts of development to focus more on those social issues. 

ICT requires major financial investment, has high costs in information acquisition, maintenance and  infrastructure (e.journals, digital libraries). Thus it becomes difficult to integrate ICT in both Higher and Basic Education due to the fact that it's expensive and things such as delivery of textbooks, provision of desks and proper learning facilities are what is prioritized first above everything else. The risk factor is also highly considered looking at the crime rate in our Country, the Government  can't continuously pump money into a pit hole.

Furthermore, I can say that most Barriers with ICT in South Africa are derived from the social issues, meaning there are a lot of  loop holes which need to be closed first in order for ICT to be fully implemented and operate effectively in all aspects of the country, especially in Rural Areas.

The Barriers which are as follows:

• Lack of IT infrastructure
• Lack of finance
• Poverty
• Crime
• Illiteracy
• Lack of national development

As i highlighted in my previous comment with regards to the topic 'ICT in South African Education - a Reality Check'. At my school we were faced with one of the most controversial social issues 'Crime'. Which repeatedly robbed us of any opportunity that came our way to experience the ICT Systems. These are herculean barriers which cost schools in rural areas like mine a chance to better education, improved teaching and learning, easy access to information and greater achievement academically.

''My schooling at Silamba Secondary School Mpumalanga - a journey continued''

Matric subjects:
Accounting
Mathematics
English FAL
Isindebele HL
Business Studies
Economics
Life Orientation

I completed my matric at KwaMhlanga in a local school called Silamba Secondary School in the year 2011.




During my high school days I was one of the most popular learners at my school academically, considering my shyness, I could not have been popular in anything besides that. What I love most about my schooling days is the competition that we had among ourselves to prove to one another that we can do great if not better than those who were in well developed and established schools in the suburb areas. This always pushed me to do my best at all times and to encourage my friends to aim to for the stars too.

As the year got thinner our minds became thicker with new information which was preparing us for the future we were about to embark on as we went our separate ways after high school. Even though there weren't any educational technology tools, my school managed to to work with what it had which was one computer at the time, chalkboards and a whole lot of books from the current curriculum 'NCS' to the old curriculum 'OBE', to help us acquire all the necessary information we needed. Although we could not run away from the fact that 'if only we had the ICT system in place' things would have been much easier and accessible, we tried going to internet cafes now and then.

The year came to an end, I had passed my matric exceptionally well and school was indeed another chapter in my past. As my teacher would always say 'look very carefully at the person next to you because after this year that person will only be a phone call away or out of touch with you forever, because there is life after high school my dear learners, life which you have to make for yourself'. I held on to few of the many advises that i received from my teachers, fellow classmates and everyone around who had a positive influence in my life, and today I'm  happy to say that I'm reaping the good rewards of  the seeds which were planted carefully in me by each and one of these people. I am now a Teacher to be and I'm delighted to say my school made me who I am.