The 21st Century Namibian Classroom: An E-Reader Approach

The benefits from technological changes have been witnessed in almost every sector of the economy through ICT usage, thus encouraging many organisations to plan and prepare for the future. This paper focuses on the education sector in Namibia. Emerging technologies have created a difficult environment for teachers in Namibian schools. Most learners prefer to use the internet, in addition to other gadgets like mobile phones, laptops and tablets. However, the wide-spread usage of these devices is not currently encouraged in Namibian schools leading to ignorance and a low reading culture among learners. This paper outlines the requirements and supporting technologies of the future classroom. A case study approach involving schools in the Khomas region was selected. The paper proposes a new reading technology, in the form of e-readers, as the education sector plans for the future. Results indicate that learners have text books available and the Namibian government has a huge textbook budget; yet, despite all these government efforts, it seems learners are not motivated to read from textbooks. The implementation of new technologies in Namibia's education sector has the potential to transform the current teaching and learning landscape.