16 Mar 2020

Orange Botswana has donated 50 tablets, a projector screen and two mini servers, 50 headphones, blue speaker and a solar power kit to Mokgenene Primary School.

Handing over the donation recently, Orange Botswana area sales business partner, Mr Oteng Serumula said the company was aware that not everybody could access and use technologies available because of geographics, age, digital literacy and financial constrains.

Mr Serumola hoped that the gifts would encourage and improve digital literacy among learners and result in improved academic performance.

He stated that the digital schools programme from the beginning was a collaboration with the ministries of basic education and local government, with a goal to improve academic excellence in schools.

The tablets feature a programme of orange foundation, which has digitised primary school learning material to be easily accessible by pupils.

Mr Serumula promised an audit on the benefits of the donated material, adding that the initiative was working in other areas and feedback was always positive.

Basic education ministry’s performance improvement officer on ICT, Ms Linah Bright hailed the donation and hoped it would help address poor performance in schools, which had become a concern for all.

She said the ministry was equally concerned and doing all it could to turn the tide.

Ms Bright said that the learning ways of today’s children was different compared to the way things were done in the past because today, children only understand through touching and seeing and the material donated by Orange would help them understand better from a young age.

Technology, she said, allowed for others to see what was happening around the world giving an example of the COVID 19 pandemic.

“It is also important to produce a creative and innovative generation who will tomorrow bring about positive solutions to the problems we are facing today,” Ms Bright said.

Mahalapye Sub-council acting assistant senior council secretary, Mr Artwell Mlilo said the journey to bridge the digital divide continued with the support of Orange Botswana.

He said government remained truly committed to strengthening partnership with the private sector to bring about community development.

Mr Mlilo said the noble gesture of generosity by Orange Botswana was worthy of the nation’s commendation and that improved results would surface.

He urged the community to treasure the investment and encourage their children to explore the world of ICT that would culminate in the overall development of the community.

Shoshong MP, Mr Aubrey Lesaso commended Orange Botswana for grooming children while young because anything learnt at a young age was never forgotten.

He said with the President preaching a knowledge based nation, this propelled them in that direction and pledged his support.

The school head, Ms Ipeleng Chandada said teachers had been using their own gadgets for research and the gifts would come in handy. Ends