New software to provide multilingual learning unveiled

Warwick Phd student, Mmaki Jantjies has unveiled ‘M-Thuto’ or ‘Mobile Learning’, a new software for multilingual learning support.

The software provides students with learning content in English and other regional languages of South Africa, including Setswana and Xhosa.

It was developed as part of Ms Jantjies’ PhD studies and was supervised by Dr Mike Joy. The software was tested in a number of South African schools and showed positive results.

Ms Jantjies commented: “Many children do not have access to the smart phones and computers that can provide them with an excellent educational advantage. I realised that children without access to these devices were often the ones who required the most help and so I decided that the system should support even the most basic mobile phone.

“I am passionate about bringing the skills and knowledge I have gained studying at the University of Warwick home and putting them to effective use in South Africa.

“The possibilities of new technology, such as M-Thuto, provide a real opportunity for the government to invest in and support students and I believe we can make a real, positive step forward for our young people”.

M-Thuto was developed using open source technology including XHTML and SQL and the interface supports different types of mobile phones.

The learning content is available online. It includes class notes, class exercises, class quizzes and other materials required by learners, which are developed by South African teachers and translated by language specialists.