Angolan minister of Education Luísa Grilo announced distance learning for the next academic year, provided the technological conditions permit it.
Luísa Grilo was speaking at the launch of the digital distance learning platform “AVITEL”, stressing that the process, to be performed by use of experimental method, will initially cover some Luanda-based schools.
She described the platform as very useful due to its role of revolutionising education in Angola, taking into account the digital age.
The minister said that schools with Internet access facilities will be first ones to benefit from the programme.
The official reiterated the government commitment to send free Internet signal to the secondary schools.
As for computer means that facilitate access to distance learning for students, Luísa Grilo said that the government will work with the technological industries to ensure affordable prices of laptops and smart phones.
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“For schools, computers are already being distributed and rooms are being created. Whoever cannot access it at home, can do so at school or in community centers that can be developed ”, she said.
The Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication, Manuel Homem, recalled that the Telecommunication Institute has played a crucial role in placing trained professionals in the areas of telecommunications and information technologies on the market.
Given the current difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government official said that it was possible to accelerate the modernisation of the institution, to allow permanent interaction with students and meet the objective of bringing knowledge.
“Today we are witnessing a technological innovation that allows students at the Telecommunications Institute (ITEL) to have access to classes on a virtual basis, as well as the interaction with the school secretary can happen in the same environment”, he said.
As for the Internet, Manuel Homem found it worrying, saying that he has been working so that the country has increasingly facilitated access to this service.
He added that a broadband program is currently being implemented that will improve the accessibility of the Internet in the national territory.
“Naturally, today Angola is connected via submarine cables, one managed by Angola Telecom and the other by Angola Cables, having ensured the national interconnection capacity”, he said.
In turn, the director general of the Telecommunication Institute (ITEL), André Pedro, underlined that the programme houses three essential support services for the institution and that it can be extended to other schools of general education at the country level.
He said it houses an electronic secretary, distance learning platform and the virtual laboratory for 3D animation in augmented reality.
For next year, the Telecommunication Institute (ITEL) plans to have two classes, one of which in the online model.
During the pilot experiment, the institution had 210 classes taught online, 114,000 minutes of videos watched.
Source: Angop
