Online education company GetSmarter and the University of the Witwatersrand School of Education (WSoE) have partnered to offer a new online short course in the educational sphere.

The Strategic Implementation of Information and Communications Technology Integration in Education course formed part of an initiative to develop the technology skills of teachers in classrooms across South Africa and aimed to increase access to top-tier university programmes by the educational faculty; a sector that, in Africa, in comparison to countries across the world, was behind in practical skills training.

The partnership was also formed out of the mutual belief that the educational achievement of South Africa’s youth was a key determinant of the country’s future economic growth. “Improving educational attainment should be seen as an urgent priority for South Africa,” GetSmarter said in a statement.

“We believe that South Africa’s future economic prosperity hinges directly on improving the quality of the teachers already working in our schools. In order to do this, we need to revisit the ongoing education models for our educators and reimagine a system that can help teachers develop their practice in ways that will benefit students,” GetSmarter chief academic officer Rob Paddock explained.