STUDENTS in mainly-black South African townships around Johannesburg and Pretoria are being given shiny new tablet computers as part of the provincial government’s ambition to create a “paperless classroom”. But the investment in technology is having an unwanted side-effect: it is attracting the attention of criminals. Along with lessons, education officials are issuing tips on how to avoid muggers.
Gauteng province, the economic hub of South Africa, intends to put 17,000 tablets into the hands of students in their last year of secondary school,starting with rural and township schools. But even the politicians trumpeting this bold commitment to education technology know this puts students at risk. Panyaza Lesufi, the provincial education minister, advises students to travel in groups and avoid wearing school blazers, which could attract criminals. If robbers pounce, don’t be a hero to save your tablet. “Your life comes first,” Mr Lesufi told students in Soweto.
Despite such warnings, and security measures such as the installation of tracking software on tablets and burglar bars and surveillance cameras in classrooms, the devices keep getting stolen. Students...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1RSgqnI
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