Samsung is committed to creating the future and improving access to education through its Smart School initiative. The newest Smart Classroom in South Africa was unveiled on Friday (8 September) by Samsung’s President and Managing Director, Mr Sung Yoon and Michael Zulu Primary School principal Mrs Lindiwe Vilakazi at Michael Zulu Primary School in Tsakane, Brakpan.

According to Equal Education, 41.7% of South African Grade 10 pupils drop out of school before their matric year. One of the main reasons – the absence of a solid early schooling foundation.

Samsung is not only providing tools and skills towards learners passing Grade 12. This goes beyond matric This approach is rooted in our core values and business philosophy which states that we will devote our human resources and technology to create superior products and services to contribute to a better global society. Providing access to technology and education for underserved communities is a step closer to reaching this goal.

“As a market leader that drives innovation and develops products according to our clients’ needs and wants, we understand that the future of education is in technology. With Samsung’s classroom technology, educators can get more students engaged, improve participation, and most importantly, make learning fun,” says Pitso Kekana, Samsung’s Head of Public Affairs and Corporate Citizenship. Mr Kekana went on to say that “in addition to providing the appropriate technologies, Samsung also wants to ensure that the teachers at Michael Zulu Primary School take ownership of the Smart Classroom and receive adequate training to optimise the use of the facilities”.

The Smart School solution has three components. The first, is an interactive management solution which allows teachers to deliver content to students, share screens, check student progress, conduct group activities and run tests or instant polls. The second, is a learning management system which provides educational material and content, such as e-textbooks and learning apps. The third is a student information system which helps teachers track an individual pupil’s progress, attendance and other information.

Students are also able to access their school information at any time – whether at home or at school – and can interact with their peers and teachers via online portals and communication tools.

This Smart Classroom has eBoards which combine the simplicity of a whiteboard and the power of a computer. The Samsung interactive LCD e-Board increases student participation and provides better visual presentation.

“Samsung promotes learning and is addressing South Africa’s education challenges by bringing new and immersive digital learning experiences into the classroom. Smart Classrooms have shown to improve student engagement and teacher empowerment, combining easy-to-use devices and dynamic content,” concludes Hlubi Shivanda, Director: Business Innovation Group & Corporate Affairs at Samsung.

Smart Schools work with governments and organisations across the globe to bring education opportunities to underserved communities so that more students can enjoy the full benefits of a quality digital education. The Smart School initiative has seen Samsung support over 3,000 schools globally, allowing well over 1.4 million bright young minds to learn in fun and interactive environments.

Samsung believes that technology is a powerful tool for social change, especially when it comes to education. The Samsung Smart Classroom was born out of the belief that success cannot only be measured by business achievements, but should also be measured by how well a business serves its communities and impacts people’s lives.