MTN Namibia and Old Mutual join hands in education

Educational material worth N$370 000 donated
Mariselle Stofberg
Enzo Amuele

The ministry of education, arts and culture recently received continuing professional development material worth N$370 000 from Old Mutual and MTN Namibia.

MTN Namibia and Old Mutual Namibia donated 160 internet gadgets to be used in the training of Advanced Subsidiary (AS) mathematics teachers across Namibia.

In addition to the internet gadgets, Old Mutual sponsored 204 calculators and gave funds for mathematics continuing professional development competitions.

According to the ministry's executive director, Edda Bohn, the ministry's commitment with the introduction of AS level has been to assist and support mathematics teachers in upgrading their skills and content understanding in order to confidently teach the subject.

“One of the subjects taught at this level is mathematics, and it is mathematics that, on the one hand, has always been seen as this highly demanding subject, but on the other hand, it could be seen as the ‘mother’ or enabler of all sciences, or alternatively, that universal language that should be accessible to all,” she said.

According to Elia Tsouros, managing director of MTN Namibia, their responsibility as an enabler across Africa is to expand their reach.

“We believe that everyone has the right to communication, and we have discovered that people who have access to information can increase their success later in life by 60%,” he stated.

Tsouros said MTN is focused on the youth, who are the future of the country, and the company will invest significantly in the country's development in the coming months.

Mauriza Fredericks, OId Mutual's manager for communication and social responsibility, thanked the ministry for welcoming Old Mutual on board.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative because it will help our students and teachers grow,” she said.