A fancy idea – but will it fly?

A multimedia satellite television network called Mindset has launched a TV channel focusing on mathematics, science and English and an educator development programme.

Channel Activate, accessible on channel 82 of DStv, is targeting learners and educators in the Further Education and Training (FET) band and broadcasts nine hours on weekdays.

Mindset Network is a non-profit organisation that uses satellite broadcasts with supporting multimedia material in print and on the Internet to deliver educational material, with the help of local and international companies.

To access the channel, a school would need a TV, asatellite decoder, a VCR, asmart card and, for those schools without electricity, a generator. Excluding the cost of the generator, the package goes for a minimum of R12 000.

Melanie Naidoo, who manages access at Mindset and the effective use of technology for the network, says: ‘We are working on finding sponsorship – from big corporate companies, individuals and communities – to fund equipment for disadvantaged schools.” Since its launch in May this year, Activate has reached 300 schools and will reach an additional 700 by the end of this year.

But given the number of schools involved with FET, it takes a big leap of faith to believe that this initiative is going to benefit the majority.

Add to this the fact that there is no conclusive research on the effectiveness of educational TV in the classroom, and the R225-million for the project seems like a huge investment with no guaranteed returns.

Paul Musker, who has done research on educational television for the SABC, says the medium is ineffective without prior teacher training. ‘You will have a situation where educators just switch on a TV, then sit through the lesson and switch it off at the end of the lesson,” says Musker, adding that ‘education TV cannot be a substitute for educators”.

The accessibility of the print support for Mindset is questionable. An extensive national study on Foundation phase learners and their contexts released in June found that only 31% of households have access to television, radio and computers. Only 30% of parents purchase newspapers and magazines.