MTN SA Foundation School Connectivity Programme reaches Namaqualand

Yesterday, MTN handed over a computer laboratory and ten Compujectors to eight schools in the Namaqua District in the Northern Cape as part of its school connectivity programme.

The handover was done in partnership with the Provincial Department of Education in the Northern Cape.

The 40 seater computer laboratory is located in Steinkopf Secondary School, and the recipients of the 10 Compujectors are Bulletrap Primary School, Johan Hein Primary School, Elizabeth Wimmer Primary School, Louriesfontein Primary School, Rooiwal Primary School, Paulshoek Primary Schools, Witbank Primary School and Carolusberg Primary School. Carolusberg Primary School received three of the 10 provisioned Compujectors.

The Compujector, which is also known as a classroom in a box, is a plug and play compact computer that is equipped with a data projector and an interactive portable white board. It is kitted with a stylus that can be used on any flat surface to make notes or do presentations.

Over and above facilitating access to ICT services, the MTN SA Foundation Schools Connectivity Programme provides learners with the opportunity to take their education further and provides them with the ability to compete in an increasingly digital world. This is done through forging strategic partnerships with the Department of Education at both national and provincial level.

Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, General Manager of MTN SA Foundation, says the handover will go a long way towards bridging the digital divide and ensuring that the learners can use connectivity to access the wealth of information on the information superhighway.

"The computer laboratory and the Compujectors will open a new window to the world and will also ensure that learning and teaching is elevated in the target schools to meet the requirements of the digital age. We are pleased and delighted that the provincial Department of Education has agreed to partner with us to make a positive difference to these schools. This partnership with the Department is indicative of a meeting of minds and demonstrates the shared values of improving the welfare of the African child," says Mtunzi-Hairwadzi.

In the past eight years, the MTN SA Foundation has handed-over more than 350 computer laboratories to schools in under-serviced areas. These computer laboratories have full Internet connectivity and are equipped with educational material and curriculum content.

"The partnerships we have forged with the Department of Education at provincial level have enabled us to identity impoverished schools that are in dire need of these facilities. The Northern Cape Department of Education has identified the Namaqua District as an area that needed the services and infrastructure that MTN has provided. The Namaqua community now has access to a 40 seater computer laboratory, a multi-functional printer, an inter-active white board, data projector, router, data card for connectivity, external antenna to boost network connection, subsidised internet connectivity for 24 months and curriculum-based software."

MTN SA Foundation has made an undertaking to continuoulsy monitor and evaluate this project to ensure its long-term sustainability.