Nelson Mandela Bay — The national government, working with private partners, has launched a mobile digital laboratory at Fontein Full‑Service School in Nelson Mandela Bay as part of efforts to extend digital learning to disadvantaged communities in the Eastern Cape.
Mobile lab to bring basic computer skills to learners and teachers
The mobile laboratory, presented in a public–private partnership, will provide basic computer training to more than 800 learners at Fontein and will also assist educators with integrating technology into classroom teaching, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, said during the launch on 19 October 2026.
Eastern Cape education officials have highlighted that the province has more than 5,000 public schools, many of which lack dedicated information technology facilities. The absence of such infrastructure leaves large numbers of learners without reliable access to the digital space, contributing to unequal learning opportunities.
"We also need municipalities to come to the party. We need provincial governments and the Departments of Education in these provinces to ensure that the connectivity provided to the schools is also of the level of quality, that can cope with the size of the school," Malatsi said.
At the event the principal of Fontein Primary School, Gary Groenewald, and teacher and Cyber Lab project lead Sanders Hansa expressed their enthusiasm about the new facility. Ziaad Suleman, CEO of Cassava Technologies — the private partner in the project — said the investment aims to prepare learners for a digital future.
Collaboration and connectivity challenges
Minister Malatsi emphasised that public–private collaboration is essential to tackle the province's digital inequalities. He called on municipalities and provincial education departments to ensure that connectivity delivered to schools is sufficient for educational needs, noting that many school rollout programmes offer just "10 megabytes per second," which he described as inadequate for modern school requirements.
The minister said the responsibility for providing and maintaining an appropriate network in schools rests with the schools themselves, the provincial Departments of Education and provincial governments — a point he underlined as part of the broader push to scale up digital access.
What the lab delivers
- Basic computer skills training for learners (more than 800 beneficiaries at Fontein).
- Support and training for teachers to integrate digital tools into lessons.
- Delivery under a public–private partnership model, led by Cassava Technologies and partners.
School staff said the lab will enable pupils who previously had little or no exposure to computers to gain foundational digital literacy. For teachers, access to the mobile lab offers a practical route to developing new classroom practices that incorporate e‑learning.
Scale and context in the Eastern Cape
Officials and education advocates in the province have repeatedly warned that large numbers of schools still do not have IT facilities or reliable connectivity. While the mobile lab is a targeted intervention at Fontein, provincial stakeholders say many more schools require equipment, training and network upgrades to make digital learning widely accessible.
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Public schools in Eastern Cape | 5,000+ |
| Students to benefit at Fontein | 800+ |
Education sector observers note that isolated projects can demonstrate what is possible, but wider gains require aligned action across municipal, provincial and national levels to upgrade bandwidth, equip classrooms and train teachers. The minister reiterated that the quality of connectivity must match school sizes and usage needs.
For parents and guardians in communities that will see similar interventions, the launch signals an intent from government and private partners to invest in digital skills. However, the long‑term impact will depend on sustained funding, regular maintenance of equipment, and improvements to network capacity across the province.
The mobile laboratory at Fontein is the latest example of a model that relies on partnerships between government and industry to reach learners outside established IT hubs. Whether the model can be replicated at scale in the Eastern Cape — given the province's extensive list of schools without IT infrastructure — remains a central question for education policy in the months ahead.
Reporting from Nelson Mandela Bay.
