Kunle Aderinokun
21 July 2005
Abuja — MTN Communications Nigeria Limited has said it was committed to make heavy financial investments with view to improving quality of learning and teaching of information and communication technology in schools.
Speaking at the official launch of MTN Foundation Schools Connect Phase 2 in Abuja, Executive Director, MTN Foundation, Mrs. Amina Oyagbola said, "our education agenda is driven by a fundamental interest in the effective application of information technology in education."
Oyagbola said the Foundation believed that access to both education and technology was vital to success in today's world. According to her, "technology permeates the way we conduct business and every facet of our lives, making literacy in technology in essential skill."
She noted, that the MTN Foundation, which is "the arrowhead of our social investment drive," play a key role in using various programmes designed to help reduce poverty and foster development in the country. "working in the areas of education, health and economic empowerment we are determined that our people and our technology will make a vital difference. We will do so not only by facilitating effective communications , but by ensuring that communities and ordinary Nigerians will have access to better education, good health and be economically empowered," she said.
MTN's key focus areas of intervention, she pointed out, are "in line with this government's NEEDS initiative, which has been universally hailed as visionary noting that "MTN identifies with the strategies contained in that document and we will continue to support the government to the extent of our capabilities in this regard."
Oyagbola said the launch marked the second phase of the MTN Schools Connect, which is a partnership between the MTN Foundation and Schools Net Nigeria. She recalled that the first phase of the project was launched last year in Kaduna, Lagos and Enugu States in which 12 secondary schools were beneficiaries.
According to her, each of the 12 schools received fully operational computer laboratories with a suite 21 computers, server, VSAT Internet connectivity and teacher training.
She said the second phase launch has four schools each benefiting in Abuja, Kaduna and Rivers State. The schools, she disclosed would benefit ICT laboratories identical to those in the fist phase.
She listed the beneficiary schools in Abuja to include: Government Secondary School, Tundun Wada; Government Science Secondary School, Pyakasa; Government Day Secondary School, Wuse 2 and; Government Secondary School, Nyanya.
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