Vodacom donates ICT devices to three schools
VODACOM Tanzania Foundation (VTF) has donated ICT equipment worth over 160m/- to three schools as part of its ongoing initiatives to support education sector agenda on digital learning and increase access to information.
The schools that benefitted from Vodacom Tanzania Foundation are Dodoma Secondary, Mbeya Secondary and Tunduma secondary school in Songwe Region.
Speaking at the event, the Dodoma Regional Commissioner Rosemary Senyamule said the provision of ICT tools in schools by Vodacom Tanzania Foundation is an important step towards inclusive digital transformation through education.
“The government policy is to integrate ICT in education thus having the equipment in schools is integral to implement the policy. The use of computers connected to internet in schools is one of the ways to improve education quality. Computers in schools will not only help students with digital skills but also to access resources and information in their studies, like the use of e-Fahamu portal. Teachers can also use computers to improve their teaching skills. We believe that the computers are yet another step towards narrowing the digital divide and we thank Vodacom for their valuable support in this.” She insisted.
Speaking at the handover in Dodoma, Vodacom Tanzania Managing Director- Mr Philip Besilimire said the donation was part of the Vodacom Tanzania Foundation school connectivity project aimed to set up e-Fahamu in schools.
“ICTs are crucial in improving teaching and learning in secondary schools and the foundation has an agenda to reach 1500 secondary schools. This donation will go a long way towards ensuring our students have access to digital education as well as Vodacom’s e-learning portal (e-Fahamu) which provides free digitised educational content,” stated Mr Besilimire.
He said Vodacom has been collaborating with stakeholders to support ICT agenda in schools like Samsung, the Universal Communication Service Access Fund (UCSAF), the African Child Project (ACP) and Young Scientists Tanzania (YST).
The Vodacom Tanzania Foundation has reached over 509 public secondary schools and spent over 1.1bn/- todate in ICT equipment donations and digital skill development.
“We believe our donation of ICT equipment and furniture for the ICT classrooms will go a long way in ensuring students access digital education through ICT equipment.
Also students get ICT knowledge through Vodacom’s e-learning portal (e-Fahamu) which provides digitised educational contents for learners to study at their own pace to complement their curriculum subjects,” Mr Besilimire said.
Through the donation, Dodoma Secondary, Mbeya Day Secondary and Tunduma PC Secondary will each receive 15 computer desks, 1 TV screen, 15 desktop chairs, 15 desktop tables and oneyear internet connectivity bundle.
