tHE ATLAS DIGIBUS

What is the Atlas Digibus?

The Atlas Digibus is a Scania bus which has been converted into a mobile classroom. It is fitted with 40 laptops and two teaching stations. The bus has been donated to VUSA through a collaboration between The Atlas Foundation and Cognizant.

IMPACT TO THE LANGA COMMUNITY?

South Africa has an unequal education system with many schools struggling with overcrowded classrooms, staff absenteeism and poor academic outcomes, leading to a high drop-out rate which perpetuates the cycle of poverty. Children learn in their mother tongue until Grade 4 and thereafter transition to English, leaving them unable to understand the content and falling behind, resulting in a staggering 40% drop-out rate of which 17% of pupils site poor academic performance as their reason.

The pilot project

The Atlas Digibus will be housed at Bishops Diocesan College and travel to Langa each day. The bus will spend one day a week at each primary school in Langa (Mokhone, Moshesh, Zimasa, Siyabulela, Thembani). Schools have requested support for Grade 4 learners who have to transition from mother tongue, to English learning. VUSA welcomes Coronation Fund Managers who have pledged support to this project for an initial 3 year period.

The Atlas Digibus will have internet connection and thus the bus will later be able to be utilised to support Matric learners with revision, peer learning programmes, staff and parent training programmes, coding - the possibilities are endless.