MTN alleviates shortage of skills through teleteaching

MTN, through its Foundation arm, is assisting the government to alleviate the shortage of skilled educators, particularly in the rural communities.

On 18 May 2010, MTN Foundation launched the teleteaching project at Kgaphamadi High School. This project uses technology to present a lesson in one classroom and have the same lesson through means of technology equipment viewed by learners in another classroom. The teacher can, through speakers and cameras, interact with learners in another venue.

“The objective of this programme is to assist government alleviate the problem of shortage of skilled educators. We intend to expand this pilot project to ensure that one school which has skilled educators is connected with a group of other schools where there might be a shortage,” explained Eunice Maluleke, Head of MTN SA Foundation.

With teleteaching, learners connect at the same time and can interact with the instructor. They may also choose to look at archived sessions they can download.

As one of the most under-resourced regions in the North West Province, government has identified this district in which the school operators as a key area for socio economic development.

As part of its commitment to investing in and empowering the communities in which it operates, MTN Foundation also unveiled its school-based development programmes at the Kgaphamadi High School in Badplaas.

During 2009/2010, 15 schools were identified, renovated and set up as fully fledged media centres - this included 15 computer workstations, 300 computers, 30 printers, 15 data projectors, 15 interactive white boards, 15 DSTV/dish and 45 data cards. The teaching and learning support programme saw 50 educators from 25 schools and six curriculum advisors receiving training on numeracy, maths, science and technology during 2009.

MTN SA Foundation has embarked on an integrated socio-economic development approach, in which education, arts and culture, health and entrepreneurship initiatives are being implemented in the Moretele municipality to foster development among the communities.

“Projects within the education portfolio include school connectivity programmes that provide schools with state-of-the art technologies for media centres in order to enhance teaching and learning. Interventions include providing schools with technology-based teaching and learning aids; enhancing the outreach of existing science centres; establishing interactive teleteaching technology platforms; and developing the capacity and institutional infrastructure of schools,” continued Maluleke.

The Foundation's policy is to bring about meaningful, measurable and sustainable changes that form the basis for disadvantaged and rural communities in their quest for self-reliance. To this end, the interventions place a strong emphasis on capacity-building and empowerment.

“Our interventions aim to benefit rural communities, which usually fall through the cracks because they are not easily accessible. By launching all community interventions with education programmes, we are able to forge long-term positive relationships with a wide variety of community stakeholders, whether young or old, influential or vulnerable. These relationships help us to develop a detailed understanding of the unique challenges facing our communities,” concluded Maluleke.