Maseru
Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL) and Higherlife Foundation have injected M1 248 840 into the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) to meet 439 students halfway with examination and school fees. This generous handover was gifted to the ministry on Tuesday.
After the revised tariffs on Lesotho exports by the Trump administration and USAID funds withdrawals, 439 students who were sponsored by Mothers to Mothers suffered the consequences, being left helpless and hopeless.
These students, it was announced, are enrolled in 167 schools countrywide and were faced with the devastating possibility of not being able to sit for exams as a result of being behind with their fees.
To ensure the students’ right to education was not violated, the ministry took an initiative to seek help on the students’ behalf from Econet and its partners.
The Chief Executive Officer of Econet, Dennis Plaatjies, expressed his view on education, saying they at Econet believe in the saying that the right to education is one of the basic human rights, saying every child should be able to go to school.
“This payment to the Examination Council of Lesotho (ECoL) is a declaration of our belief in the potential of each of these learners. It is also a commitment to access equity and dignity in education. It is an act of hope that we have for these learners,” Plaatjies said.
He emphasised that the payment coincides with the plans that ETL and Higherlife had already set in place to give back to the community, noting that Higherlife Foundation is soon to unveil 10 new recipients of the Moshoeshoe I scholarship, forming part of the fourth cohort and tallying the number to 40 since its 2022 inception.
“In the past financial year, ETL, through Higherlife Foundation, has invested over M8 million towards education corporate social investment initiatives. This is because we firmly believe that when we empower learners, we empower the nation,” Plaatjies said.
He emphasised the company’s gratitude to Basotho for continuously supporting ETL, stating that in every purchase of the company’s products and services, a certain portion goes into the Higherlife Foundation to enable the possibility of initiatives of the same nature to take place.
Ntoi Rapapa, the Minister of Education and Training, expressed his pride in the synergy between government ministries and privately owned companies in helping Basotho in all development aspects.
“ETL did not help only MOET and the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, but it has also brought hope to the lives of the vulnerable and marginalised individuals. It is touching to restore someone’s hope. Initiatives pushed by private sectors go a long way in helping students reach their dreams as I am one of the people who would not be where I am in life if it was not of helps like this one,” Rapapa echoed, further requesting ECoL staff to help students who come short of paying their fees rather than opting for expulsion.
He said when a student fails to sit for their exams, the failure is a chain reaction that could have repercussions hitting them, their families and generations to follow, hence they need to receive all the help they can get
