A public-private partnership between the MTN Foundation and the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) has seen three primary schools in Mqanduli receive a combined total of 120 smart devices (tablets) to help bridge the digital divide between schools in rural and urban areas.
The schools that benefited from the donation were Corana, Mxambule and Ngqiniko Senior Primary Schools.
The donation was officially handed over to the schools during a ceremony, held at Corana Senior Primary School, on February 17.
The donation of the devices came after Corana SPS principal, Nolutando Voyi, approached Correctional Services Deputy Minister, Chief Phathekile Holomisa, to intervene in fixing a poor MTN mobile phone network signal in the area, where her school is located, sometime last year.
Holomisa, who is also the traditional leader of the area where Corana SPS is located, then approached MTN to attend to the complaint about poor network reception in the area.
In attending to the poor network signal, MTN, through its foundation then committed to donate the devices as part of their corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives.
Voyi was then tasked with identifying neighbouring schools that are desperately in need of the smart devices and subsequently identified Mxambule SPS and Ngqiniko SPS.
In addition to the 120 tablets handed over for use by pupils at the three schools, MTN Foundation, in partnership with DCS, had already donated 30 tablets to teachers at the three primary schools last year.
“I am happy today that we have fulfilled the promise that we, together with MTN, made to these schools.
“The tablet devices will improve the quality of education and enhance the performance of learners,” said Holomisa, at the handover.
MTN Foundation general manager, Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, said the tablets gave access to MTN online school, a digital platform loaded with school curriculums from Grade R to Grade 12, and which is accessible without mobile data charges by visiting the website www.mtnonlineschool.co.za.
The Department of Education circuit manager, Dr Nomvuyo Ndlame, thanked both MTN and DCS for the donation and further committed to ensuring that the devices are kept safe and used only for teaching and learning purposes.
