Vodacom donates ICT equipment to 14 Iringa schools
Vodacom Tanzania Foundation has donated 49 equipment of information technology worth 89m/- to 14 schools in Iringa.
The donation was part of the telco school connectivity programme that aims to improve digital learning in the country.
The school connectivity programme is being implemented in partnership with African Child Projects and the Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF) aimed at reaching 300 public schools in its second phase.
Iringa Regional Commissioner Ms Halima Dendego said there is still a great need for ICT professionals in the country who must be prepared at an early stage.
“Often, students hate science and technology subjects for lacking sufficient early preparation and learning materials,” Ms Dendego said at a brief handover ceremony held at Mtwivila Secondary School at Iringa township.
The RC said through ICT, it is easy for teachers to prepare their lessons and reach many students at once online.
“It is my hope that the ICT equipment that we have received from Vodacom will improve teaching and learning in our schools,” she said adding:
“Students should overcome their fear of these devices instead show enthusiasm to understand how they work for future studies.”
The ICT equipment donated are 31 computers, 15 tablets, one TV, and one photocopy machine.
The benefited schools were Tagamenda, Ipogolo, Miyomboni, Iringa Girls, Lugalo, Mkwawa, Mawelewele, Kihesa, Mazoezi, Mlandege, kwa Kilosa, Mivinjeni Idunda, Mlake and Mtwivila.
So far, approximately over 600,000 students are benefiting from the nationwide school connectivity programme.
Vodacom Tanzania Southern Zone Manager Ms Happiness Shuma said the nationwide school connectivity project is part of the company’s efforts to use its wide network and resources to support the development of communities.
“The provision of ICT equipment goes hand in hand with the connection to the internet from our SUPA network,” she said.
According to the Speedtest Intelligence, Vodacom was the fastest fixed broadband provider among top providers in Tanzania in this year’s quarter one with a median download speed of 15.62 megabits per second (Mbps).
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiary schools, the Headmistress of Mtwivila Secondary School Ms Dainess Myala said the government and private sector efforts need to be supported by all schools by encouraging the use of the ICT equipment for the intended purposes.
“We will provide feedback on how these equipment helped improve education,” he said.
