A powerful new chapter has begun for learners at Kayamandi Secondary School with the introduction of a Mobile Digital Library on campus. Brought to life through a partnership between social enterprise RuraTech and South Africa’s leading fibre network operator (FNO), Vuma, this initiative is a game-changer for teaching and learning in the school.
The school, which serves over 1 800 learners from Grades 8 to 12, now joins a growing network of over 930 South African schools on Vuma’s fibre routes – benefiting from free fibre connectivity to drive educational equity.
“Our learners were not exposed to digital tools until now,” said Principal Maphelo Ntshanga. “They used to walk to town to find internet access or use the university library a few kilometres away from the school. But with this library now on school grounds, we’ve brought those opportunities closer, made them safer, more accessible, and part of everyday learning.”
Bringing learning tools to where they matter most
At the heart of the project is a Mobile Digital Library, a secure, moveable unit that offers offline access to learning materials and career tools to help support education.
“The world is going digital, and it’s moving fast,” said Jeffrey Katuruza, Director at RuraTech. “But learners in township and rural schools are still being left behind. This library, powered by fibre connectivity from Vuma with Webafrica as the Internet Service Provider (ISP), gives them a real shot at competing on equal footing.”
With fibre as the backbone, the school can now deliver digital assignments, enable teachers to track learner progress in real time, and introduce learners to interactive learning tools – including coding through Scratch Junior. Additionally, learners can explore various future career pathways through software that is tailored to their interests and aspirations.
“By bringing a fibre line to the school, Vuma is exposing learners to a world of possibilities that can shape their futures,” said Katuruza. “Installing fibre infrastructure is the first critical step, but it needs to be paired with access to digital tools and educational resources to have an impact. This project is about providing real access and empowering learners to use it fully. If we don’t expose learners to these tools and opportunities, we’re just reinforcing existing barriers. Education is the most powerful way out but only if learners can access it in ways that prepare them for the real world.”
A long-term investment in real access and opportunity
This is the second Mobile Digital Library deployed through this partnership, following a successful pilot at Fernwood Park Primary School in the Eastern Cape in 2023, where the technology sparked strong enthusiasm among learners and teachers.
At Fernwood Park Primary, the library significantly expanded access to digital educational resources for 1 125 learners and 31 educators. Before this intervention, the school lacked storybooks for Grades 1 to 3. “Since the introduction of the library, percentage of learners able to read for meaning increased from 53.1% to 96.3%,” said Katuruza.
For grades 4 to 7 at the school, the library provided educational videos, while the 2023 year-end evaluation showed that 53% of the 773 learners tested passed with skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
“Kids were literally early to class because it was their Digital Library period,” Jeffrey recalled. “That tells you everything you need to know about how eager they were to learn. They just need the right tools.”
For Kayamandi learners, those tools are now within reach. Fibre has brought the world’s knowledge to their fingertips. As Principal Ntshanga explained, “It’s changing mindsets. It’s giving them options they never had before. They can research careers, learn new skills and imagine different futures. We are incredibly grateful.”