The MTN Foundation on Friday launched a multimedia centre in Limpopo that will cater for deaf, blind and partially-sighted students in digital skills development.
The 20-seater multimedia centre at the Vhembe TVET College in Makwarela, Sibasa, was handed over in partnership with the office of deputy minister of the Department of Social Development, Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu.
MTN’s R1.2 billion investment in the centre includes a fully-refurbished lecture room, 20-seater workstations, interactive whiteboards with accessories (wand and pen) and offline digitised educational content and interactive learning content.
According to the MTN Foundation, the initiative is structured around the effective use and integration of technology and digital content in the classroom through the construction of multimedia centres, provision of equipment and curriculum-aligned software.
Added to this is basic ICT training for educators to ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills to effectively use the technology in teaching, while provision of Internet support for 24 months per learning institution is also provided.
“The MTN SA Foundation, through our various initiatives, aims to bring the power of technology and a connected life to those most in need by contributing to the national quality of teaching and learning. We are proud to launch our latest centre at the TVET College in Limpopo, to ensure students are future-fit,” says Kusile Mtunzi-Hairwadzi, general manager of the MTN SA Foundation.
The foundation notes it has worked for the past 10 years to provide ICT-driven solutions to improve and uplift the lives of poor and disadvantaged communities. This support includes installations of multimedia centres, and support of much-needed e-learning material to rural townships, no-fee-paying and special needs schools.
Historically, the MTN SA Foundation’s programmes have been aimed at schools, universities and nursing colleges, but it has in recent years identified a need for specialised support in the TVET colleges learning environment.
Mtunzi-Hairwadzi points out: “This is the second TVET college to receive a state-of-the-art multimedia centre to assist learners with their education, and our support does not stop here.
“We decided to jump in and offer further specialised support for these programmes. The multimedia centre has been modified to provide computer-aligned zoom text and JAWS software programs for the partially-sighted students and specialised software program installations for deaf students.
“By focusing on education through a holistic and comprehensive ICT solution, we are committed to supporting government by uplifting the learning and teaching experiences in disadvantaged schools across the country.”
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