MTN Donates computers to Kabale, Wakiso and Moroto

KABALE- MTN Uganda on Thursday donated a fully furnished digital resource center worth 90 million shillings to Kabale Preparatory Primary School in Kabale Municipality, to facilitate electronic-learning in the school.

Speaking at the handover of the resource center at the school premises, the MTN Uganda Western Region Commercial Head, Mr Andrew Tusubira, said the facility came with 10 computers, a 24-hour power backup and one year free internet connectivity courtesy of MTN Digital Access Program.

Mr Tusubira said MTN Digital Access Program is aimed at skilling Ugandan youths for the 21st-century job market by enabling them to access technical and vocational information online through open education resources for skills development. Other beneficiary institutions include Smart Girls Foundation in Wakiso District and Moroto Public Library in Moroto District.

“MTN Uganda through its corporate social responsibility arm, MTN Uganda Foundation has invested 90 million shillings, in a computer lab here at Kabale Preparatory School. This is part of the MTN Uganda Foundation’s efforts to boost information and communication technologies in schools and communities. We at MTN Uganda believe that everyone deserves a modern connected life and computer labs are a springboard to educators looking to transform traditional instruction and equip learners with tech skills critical to the fast-evolving job market,” Mr Tusubira said.

The donation comes at the time the Uganda government is fast-tracking its 2040 digital vision to empower its citizens to achieve the goals of universal inclusion, sustainable development, economic progress and poverty eradication through digital innovation combining initiatives across multiple sectors.

“How can we work together, how can MTN be unstoppable, it is by touching the community's concerns. ICT has become part of modern life in the world, without it, certain aspects in the society may not function well. Education officers, the cost you are incurring to go supervise schools, you can sit in your office, with ICT enablement and monitor and know what time the last teacher reported to the school. So let’s embrace ICT, it is the future, we are in the future, right now,” Mr Tusubira added.  

The Bishop of the Diocese of Kigezi, the Rt Rev Gaddie Akanjuna, who presided over the function, applauded MTN Uganda for supporting communities with educational services.
“We thank MTN Uganda for the helping hand and we cannot take it for granted.  We all know that the performance of Kabale Preparatory School has been good. To the pupils and administrators, put into use these computers to improve academic performance. Back to teachers, ensure that you control the content that learners access on the computers, to protect them from emerging social threats, such as homosexuality,’’ Bishop Akanjuna said.

Prominent businessman Mr Cephas Birungi, who lobbied the donation, said that “we have implemented the security component, that looks at the age of the pupil, if the pupil are from the age, let’s say 4-5, you will not access material that is not authorized beyond that age category. That was a key requirement for us to ensure that you don’t have any bad material displayed in the school environment”. 

MTN Uganda Foundation is also implementing a digital literacy project in which MTN Internet Bus is carrying out ICT outreach camps in various regions of the country to spark and ignite creativity and innovation by introducing remote communities to the benefits of ICT which then can be kept alive through the community resource centres.

Over the years, MTN Uganda Foundation has supported 42 ICT labs including six in technical institutes including Amelo Technical Institute located in Adjumani District, St. Simon Peter’s Vocational Training Centre in Hoima District, and St. Daniel Comboni Polytechnic in Moroto District in partnership with the Belgian Development Agency.