Online Learning Day, celebrated on September 15, aims to cultivate awareness and support for the ever-growing community of online learners and to celebrate the vast potential online learning offers. Although celebrated in America since 2016, Online Learning Day should be acknowledged on a global scale considering the rapid explosion of online learning across the world.
Teneo, Africa’s No. 1 School in the Cloud, recognises the important role online learning affords our youth and believes that education is a powerful vehicle of opportunity. “Online learning by its very nature supports and develops personal independence and prepares students for the modern workplace. Online learning accelerates an individual’s need to think critically, solve problems and to become the confident forward-thinkers that the twenty-first century needs,” says John Shaw – CEO, Teneo Education.
One of the major hallmarks of the past year and a half was the sudden thrust into online education. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the way in which we teach and learn, with remote learning emerging as the number one educational technology trend.
In line with this trend, Teneo has seen considerable growth over the past three years, with an impressive 567 per cent increase in student numbers and a colossal 1400 per cent increase in teacher numbers from September 2019 to September 2021.
“Teneo started with a few hundred students in 2018 and in line with the growing trend in online schooling, now have three schools, offering both South African and British International curriculums, with over 480 teachers who offer live online lessons to over 8 000 students,” adds Shaw.
Earlier this year, UNICEF reported that online education allows for the democratisation of education, adding that at global and regional levels, most students (about 70 per cent) have assets at home that enable them to learn remotely via digital or broadcast classes.
Tech company, Fireflies, recently reported that online educational formats are more flexible, offering variety and the ability to customise one’s learning experience. They added that online education is more cost effective and that learning online is more accessible in terms of time and geographic location.
“Online learning has become more than a trend but rather a necessity to prepare our youth for the challenges of tomorrow,” concludes Shaw.
