A Chibi High School upper sixth student in Masvingo has launched an online study website with primary and high school books which can be downloaded and read offline during the time the country is under Covid-19 lockdown.
The pandemic has critically affected the global education sector, potentially compromising the right to education.
Across the globe, over 1.2 billion children had their right to education infringed upon following enforced school closures as part of the measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Speaking to GreatDykeNews24, Ashbel Govore (18) said the website can be accessed by anyone and there is no registration required to access the books.
“I created the website with my brother Collins Jimu who is also a famous software developer from Chiredzi.
“I got worried about the current situation that is happening in the world about the novel coronavirus/covid19 and decided to create a website for all high school and primary school learners especially those who are writing final examinations this year.
“As the country is facing lockdown to help curb the spread of the virus, I saw that it was a good idea to create a study website so that pupils are not affected by this lockdown.
“The website can be accessed by anyone and there is no registration required to access the books, all that is needed is just a click on the link and you are good to go,” he said.
African governments are battling over whether or not to reopen schools, while those that had already taken the bold step to resume classes were forced to abruptly suspend lessons after they recorded a spike in new infections.
Henceforth, e-learning has become a central talking point in African settings.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe is a typical example where debate is raging over the need for government to set up human and financial resources to address affordability, access and availability of infrastructure, devices, internet and content to aid e-learning.
Govore says that the books that are provided on the website are compatible with the new curriculum adding that they are working towards developing an application that will see students in rural areas accessing the information for free.
He added that the application will be launched in April and will be available on both Google and Apple App Store.
“The site is user friendly so it is easy for anyone to use it.
“I did not just create a website for high school students but also created another one for primary students as well.
“I will be adding more study material as time goes on so that students are up to date. Past papers are also provided on the site for revision purposes.
“I hope many students will benefit from this initiative as it is free and user friendly.
“To ensure that people from rural areas benefit from this we are creating an application which will be running offline hence it will help people in remote areas to be able to read books offline,” he added.
Most developed countries have turned to alternative means to deliver education through the use of online or electronic learning aided with digital technologies, thereby preserving learners’ human rights to education and health.
Below is the link to the website.
