An internet site featuring Maths lessons translated into isiXhosa and available free online has had more than 20 000 views since its launch last month, the founders of ClickMaths said recently.
An internet site featuring Maths lessons translated into isiXhosa and available free online has had more than 20 000 views since its launch last month, the founders of ClickMaths said recently.
The initiative to provide Xhosa school children from grade R – 12 maths lessons in English and their mother tongue free on the internet has been welcomed by learners and educators alike.
The first set of full translations into isiXhosa was launched in July and already the site has had more than 20 000 views from interested learners, primarily in the Eastern Cape area.
ClickMaths founders, Adrian Cox and Pratik Pokharel, said this is just the beginning. They are confident that maths competency will improve significantly if learners can access lessons in their mother tongue.
“With the critical teacher shortage in the country, the videos also provide teachers with a powerful tool to better evaluate where students are struggling and succeeding in the classroom," Pokharel said.
"The online platform frees up some of the time that teachers spend on administrative tasks, allowing them to maximise the teaching time spent with students. They are also able to monitor the progress and support the learning of students remotely.”
The maths lessons are provided by Khan Academy, a non-profit that provides free online materials and resources to support personalised education for learners of all ages. A second set of translations into isiZulu is underway.
The long term vision of the project is to translate the syllabus into all the official languages and to make the open source material freely available.
“We are now looking for private funders to assist with the cost of the balance of the translations," said Dave Marsh, a private backer.
"There has been a big demand for Afrikaans translations and this will probably be next."
They are seeking volunteers to translate the full site of Khan Academy, which includes problem questions, into isXhosa and isiZulu, as well as funders for translations into other official languages.
More information can be found at www.clickmaths.org
