Education in spotlight as MTN kicks off annual staff volunteer programme

The education of the girl child will be one of the focus areas of some MTN operations, as it embarks on the annual staff volunteerism programme, 21 Days of Y'ello Care, this Saturday, 1 June.

MTN Benin and Cameroon are among the operations planning to run projects creating awareness about the importance of educating the girl child. The awareness programmes will include campaigns to enrol girls in schools next year, as well as to persuade traditional leaders to introduce laws that give equal education opportunities to boys and girls.

"As we approach the deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, it is important that private businesses do what they can to assist governments in accelerating the delivery of quality education for all," says Rich Mkhondo, the Executive for Group Corporate Affairs at MTN.

MTN will run with the theme: "Investing in education for all" for two consecutive years.

"According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), each additional year of schooling can increase a person's income by up to 10%, and raises average annual GDP by 0.37%. By focusing on education, MTN hopes to impact the lives of millions of families and sustainably transform their future, by opening them up to the world of opportunities that education offers," adds Mkhondo.

The highlights of last year's hugely successful campaign include a comprehensive online digital library built by MTN staff in Cameroon, the first of its kind in that country. As part of its 21 Days campaign, MTN Cameroon staff also constructed a primary school. The company was declared overall winner of the MTN Group President and CEO prize, worth US$100 000. The winning operation uses the prize money to support other community initiatives in its market.

In line with MTN's new vision "to lead the delivery of a bold, new digital world to our customers", several operations will engage in activities that seek to introduce learners to the digital world.

In South Africa, MTN will focus on school children with special needs. This will include the donation of iPads to a school for children who have physical, mental and hearing disabilities. This is an effective learning tool for children who struggle to learn the conventional way.

In the same spirit, MTN Sudan will also focus on students with special needs, by visiting the Alnour Institute, the only school for the blind in that country. The institute is a non-profit organisation which is in dire need of educational resources.

MTN Cote d'Ivoire plans to open a mobile university, which will give university students free access to information technology and e-knowledge. MTN staff in Ghana will partner with UNESCO to organise, promote and support an online inter-school quiz.

In Rwanda, MTN will partner with the Rwandan Ministry of Education and Learning Transforms Lives, a non-governmental organisation, to launch an ICT School Connect project. The project will enable students to access educational material, aligned to the curriculum, on their mobile phones.