Vision, Mission & Aims
The Learning Channel
Liberty Life Learning Channel, and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) are working in conjunction with their business partners Johnnic Communications Media, Distance Learning Trust and William Smith to produce quality educational programming focused on grades 10 through 12 . The Learning Channel is a live broadcast, phone-in, syllabus-specific education programme on SABC-3. It airs for 2 hours, 6 days a week focusing on four key subjects: English, Maths, Science and Biology. The content is driven in part by syllabus requirements and the needs of the pupils phoning-in.
Post-Apartheid South Africa is faced with many challenges and nowhere is it more obvious than in the education sector. Nationally, there is a disproportionately high number of students repeating each grade and failing to pass matric exams. The South African government spends a fifth of the total annual budget between primary and secondary education while fewer than 35% of the pupils who enrol for Grade 1 complete grade 12.
Generally, South African students are renowned for inadequate performances in Science and Maths. To address these challenges, Liberty Life, in association with Standard Bank and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), launched the Liberty Life Learning Channel, on SABC-3 in September 1990. The programme targets pupils from grades 10 through 12. The goal being to maximize the students' potential to succeed during matric examinations so that they are better equipped for tertiary education and employment later in life. This is accomplished using examples taken from previous Matric examination questions and problems students are calling in with.
Written supplemental material, based on the syllabus and pupils questions during the show, are distributed once a week in a number of daily publications such as: The Sunday Times, Sowetan, Daily Dispatch, the Eastern Cape Herald, The Star, Cape Argus, Pretoria News, Daily News, Rapport, City Press, Beeld, and Die Burger Herald. By collecting the material, pupils have access to the textbook info without the expense of purchasing conventional textbooks that become dated and are no longer required.
Innovation
The Learning Channel was the first open-channel television-education programme to be broadcast in the world. Students are able to phone-in to a live programme and receive immediate help with English, Maths, Science, and Biology. The Learning Channel also sells video productions of those 4 subjects along with CD-roms covering past exam papers. Newspapers are also used as a means to convey the information to the public, and after collecting enough of the weekly supplements teachers and students have an excellent resource to draw from.
Effectiveness
The Liberty Life Learning Channel now broadcasts 600 hours a year. The programme's reach - despite syllabus differences - extends into Africa and is received daily by 100-million viewers in 28 countries with questions coming from as far afield as Kenya and Nigeria.
Poverty Impact
Although the impact of educational programmes on poverty is difficult to measure, The Learning Channel is preparing tomorrow's citizens by bringing quality education into homes, schools, and countries where resources are scarce.
Sustainability
Initial funding was received from Barlow Rand to obtain the necessary broadcast equipment. The SABC provides free office space and the use of any additional equipment that might be necessary, including 600 to 700 hours of donated air time annually. The cost per programme is low - R10 000.
Replication
The programme remains the leader in this field, advising delegations from the BBC, Canada and education authorities in the United States, Israel and Nigeria.
Partnerships
- South African Broadcasting Corporation
- Liberty Life
- Standard Bank
- Johnnic Communications Media
- Distance Learning Trust
- William Smith
Visit learn.co.za for more information
