MTN invests R5.4m in Mpumalanga

Today, MTN SA Foundation and the Minister of Communications, Faith Muthambi, handed over 11 multimedia centres to schools in Mpumalanga, during an event hosted at Enkokhokhweni Primary School in Kabokweni, Mpumalanga.

This handover forms part of the Department of Communication and MTN's Back to School campaigns. This investment is also a collaborative effort between the MTN Foundation and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

"Our partnership represents a meeting of minds between like-minded stakeholders who saw it befitting to work together to make a positive difference in disadvantaged communities. The multimedia centres will go a long way in enhancing the quality of learning and teaching, and will equip the learners and the educators with the necessary tools to meet the challenges of the digital age," says Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, General Manager: MTN SA Foundation.

The beneficiary schools are Phaftwa High School, Embonisweni Primary School, Hlanganani Secondary School, Edwaleni Primary School, Entokozweni Primary School, Izimbali Combined MST School, Mvangatini Primary School, Mbuyane Secondary School, Sibhulo Secondary School and Mthayiza Primary School.

All the laboratories provided to the schools have been renovated and furnished with 20 computer desks, chairs and educator stations. The computer laboratories are equipped with one server, a multifunctional printer, an interactive white board, a data projector, a router and MTN's 24-month data connectivity.

"We are pleased that we are deploying and leveraging the power of connectivity to cultivate a new cadre of learners who are expected to take our country on a new growth trajectory," adds Mtunzi-Hairwadzi.

"The 15-year involvement in education is testament to our commitment to bridge the digital divide in education in all nine provinces. As we celebrate a decade-and-a-half of sustaining our communities, it is our quest that our 2017 investment in education will help improve the quality of education in our country," adds Mtunzi-Hairwadzi.

On Friday, 13 January, MTN SA Foundation will also be unveiling an additional investment in a 40-seater laboratory at Izimbali Combined MST School, a newly built boarding school that is replacing the closed farm schools that used to service communities around Umkhondo District in Mpumalanga.

In addition to the state-of-the-art multimedia centre, MTN SA Foundation will be giving 686 handmade leather school shoes to learners at the schools. "The gesture is about instilling dignity and confidence in the learners and creating an environment that is conducive for learning," concludes Mtunzi-Hairwadzi.