Zulphat Mukarubega, MTN board member, explained that the donation was arranged through MTN Foundation Rwanda that commits to give back to community as part of their corporate social responsibility.
She said that supporting education by promoting ICT has been one of the major activities of the giant telecom company in line with the government agenda to achieve a knowledge-based economy.
"It's impossible to expect the sustainable development without education," she said. "ICT is a key tool to achieve that; and MTN was established to support such an agenda."
For the MTN board member, the foundation's ideal is to reach as many schools as possible across the country by providing them with such ICT tools so as to make easy knowledge upgrade for both students and their teachers by browsing relevant materials on internet.
"With access to internet, you can easily do your research online and be updated on different topics that can help you broaden your knowledge," she told ESPANYA students, urging them to take advantage of the opportunity that will help them be competent and participate in national development.
The school will use the computers for various functions, including among others computer science, secretarial studies and accountancy, according to Narcisse Mudahinyuka, the principal of the school. About 1,270 students will benefit from the donation.
"The computers came as an answer; given that their curricula are designed basing on computer application. It doesn't make sense to teach students web design or other computer applications when you don't have the required tools," he said, hailing the MTN donation that responds to their basic needs.
According to MTN officials, the school was the 8th one to get such ICT facilities. St Marie Secondary School located in Karongi district will also benefit today while St Aloys Secondary School, in Rwamagana and APAPEB high School based in Gicumbi will be the next beneficiaries. Mukarubega said that they expect to have donated computers to 11 schools by the end of this year.
The MTN Foundation was established in 2010 as the principal vehicle through which the telecom company exercises its corporate social responsibility duties where the company has committed 1 per cent of its profit after tax to give back to community.
Rwanda Focus