Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) commends the Department of Basic Education (DBE) for launching Woza Matrics, a free-to-air television initiative.

This initiative will assist Grade 12s with their preparation for their final exams in November after the government opted to close schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which pushed schooling on to remote platforms.

BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso says Covid-19 has affected the education system in numerous and far-reaching ways that we’re only beginning to understand. Despite some schools having moved classes online, millions of children still do not have access to computers, phones or the internet and this broadcasting intervention is a great relief to those who are less fortunate.

The Woza Matric campaign will run for 12 weeks, starting on September 1, and will be broadcast on SABC 3, all DSTV packages and on Openview (Channel 122) from 8:00-10:00 and 13:00-15:00 every day. It will also be available for free on the DSTV Catch Up app.

The DBE said that the 12-week Woza Matric campaign will support Grade 12 learners in the build-up to their final matric exams by “providing quality educational content”.

Mavuso says: “Education is one of the fundamental factors of development. No country can achieve sustainable economic development without substantial investment in human capital.

Investments in education – from preschool through to higher education – have high returns. Helping young people develop these skills makes economic sense.”

She says “new normal” in the pandemic era challenged the long-standing educational models and it is very encouraging to see the shift and move from DBE in adapting to the new normal and educating learners away from the classrooms.

“As the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) is upon us, a disruptive crisis like coronavirus may serve as an opportune moment for SA’s schools to properly prepare learners with the right tools and innovative solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s problems facing society. This can
therefore help define what learning should look like during the pandemic and beyond to propel
the country’s economic recovery,” concludes Mavuso.