MTN South Africa, together with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), has announced the launch of the ‘Connecting Every Child’ programme, calling on South Africans to join the drive to donate 30 000 devices to bring connectivity and the promise of a brighter future to children in schools across the country.
The ‘Connecting Every Child’ programme follows the DBE’s 2019 pledge to provide each learner with an ICT device with access to digitised Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSMs).
“Access to connectivity, devices and educational content is critical to advancing education in our country. Initiatives like the Connecting Every Child Programme will certainly help the department to realise its ambition of ensuring every child has access to a device. We will also intensify our efforts at improving digital literacy levels both our primary school and secondary school,” says Siviwe Gwarube, minister of basic education.
The SA Connect programme run by DCDT seeks to meet the technology goals of the National Development Plan of creating an inclusive information society and position the government to play an enabling role in the provision of broadband to the number of underserved district municipalities with a specific focus on schools.
“The Connecting Every Child programme aligns with our vision to promote digital inclusion where no one is left behind. If we are going to realize our goal of connecting every South African to the digital world, we are going to need every player in the sector, including government, to play their full part,” says Solomon Malatsi, minister of communications and digital technologies.
Gauteng’s Education department seeks to leverage ICT to enhance teaching quality, access to learner materials, learner engagement, and school administration by training teachers and introducing devices and smart software into the classroom.
“Our world faces many difficulties as seen by the decline in adequate livelihood opportunities. Despite these obstacles, rapid technological advancement reshapes the future and creates new possibilities for a brighter tomorrow. The Connecting Every Child programme provides a unique opportunity for all stakeholders and social partners to contribute to a purposeful intervention to help the country and our province produce a future-ready generation,” says Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi.
Pleading with the country at large to help bridge the digital divide and bring education and hope of a better life to the 12-million learners struggling to learn without access to the devices, Charles Molapisi, MTN SA CEO, highlighted how increased connectivity could change children’s lives.
“Education is a crucial lever in the fight against the national challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Without access to connectivity and e-learning devices our children, our grandchildren and the generations to come will be left behind. We call on all corners of society to join us – device manufacturers, technology companies, individuals and businesses alike both in the public and private sector,” says Molapisi.
Forgood will manage the online pledging system to make participation simple and transparent for donors. Donations, or ‘in-kind’ pledges, can be made on the platform at any time. The devices will go towards deserving schools across the country, largely in rural and remote areas. Additionally, for those who prefer to drop off physical smart devices, will be able to do so at MTN’s regional offices.
MTN is donating 2 000 devices to kick start the programme.