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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter

A SPANISH organisation has partnered Government to electrify and equip schools in Lupane and Gwanda districts with Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) gadgets.

ProFuturo is an international organisation operating in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia to provide quality digital education for children in vulnerable Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima said Government has partnered ProFuturo in digitalising schools in the two districts.

He said ProFuturo will also electrify schools in the districts that do not have power.

“As I speak I’m not worried about Lupane District and Gwanda District because an organisation that we spoke with from Spain called ProFuturo has adopted all the schools in those districts.

They are going to put e-learning platforms and devices.

They have already done some schools but I think by September they would have covered all the schools in those two districts.

This also means that ProFuturo is also coming with an obligation that where there is no electricity they will put an electricity solution in those schools,” said the Minister during a public lecture at the United College of Education last week.

“Related to ICTs, my biggest worry is that we still have about 40 percent of our schools without electricity.

We won’t be having where to start if we want to put computers there. So we have to expedite the electrification of our schools.

We are talking to the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) but we are also appealing to other foundations that can bring non-grid solutions.”

Prof Mavima said he has set himself a target that by the end of 2023, 80 percent of schools should be digitised.

He said he will continue to engage local and international partners to provide electricity and ICTs to schools.

“This means I have to think seriously about electricity solutions for those schools. I have to think seriously in terms of the device solution in these schools. Let me tell you that I have been going all over the world trying to get those solutions and ProFuturo is an example of that effort.

Higher Life Foundation is helping us, World Vision in many different places, our own Presidential programme is assisting us as well as the Postal and

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Potraz),” Prof Mavima said.

He said schools in Bulawayo are now more than 90 percent digitised because of electricity connections, a key driver in e-learning. — @nqotshili