Higher education department call for other government departments to make additional radio frequency spectrum for education

The minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Dr Blade Nzimande, called on Committee members on Tuesday, 21 April 2020 to support the call from Departments of Basic and Higher Education for more radio frequency spectrum to be made available for education. This comes after the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology and the Select Committee on Education and Technology, Sports, Arts and Culture held a joint meeting with the Department of Higher Education to receive an update on how institutions higher education intended to save the academic year.

Dr Blade Nzimande said the committees should be preoccupied with how releasing new spectrum will assist the sector and should support their call. He further said they will engage Minister of Basic Education, Mrs Angie Motshekga on the matter. “We need a dedicated spectrum to education in the country”-Said Dr Nzimande.

The primary task for the department of Higher Education is saving the academic year. Dr Nzimande said communications around the matter will now increase, starting with the joint press conference on Friday. Although, he flagged that it is difficult to plan as the issues around Covid-19 are complex and unpredictable.

Minister Nzimande noted that South Africa is dealing with three interlinked Crisis: Novel Corona Virus disease, the economic crisis and social distress in many households. He also revealed that the department is working to mobilise resources, including an investigation into the challenge with levy collection for the sector education and training authorities, interacting with mobile network operations on Zero-rating data and free access to educational websites.