By George Mponda

Karonga, May 20, Mana: Malawi Communications and Regulatory Authority (MACRA) has said its Connect a School (CAS) project will help increase access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services by rural communities.

MACRA's Human Resources Manager Glad Ngwira said this on Monday at Mlare Secondary School in Karonga during a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of an ICT laboratory.

Ngwira said: "The National Statistical Office released figures which revealed a huge disparity in access to ICT services between rural and urban communities. As a regulator, we decided to bridge the gap by constructing computer labs which will enable learners get acquainted to ICT services from a young age.

"This is the first phase of the project whereby we are going to construct computer labs in 75 secondary schools of which 73 are community day secondary schools (CDSS), one national secondary school and one primary school with funding from MACRA's Universal Social Services Fund."

In his remarks, guest of honor at the function, Member of Parliament for Karonga Central Constituency, Leonard Mwalwanda, said ICT is a lifeline for every development project worldwide.

"If we want to compete with other nations, our citizens have to be conversant with ICT hence this initiative by MACRA is step in the right direction towards ensuring our learners are equipped with this valuable knowledge,” he said.

On his part, head teacher for Mlare Secondary School, Edward Luhanga, hailed MACRA for selecting their school to be one of the beneficiaries of the project.

"The world has transformed into a digital place now and being located in a rural setup, our learners needed this laboratory yesterday. ICT in education advances information sharing not only for teachers who support learning but especially for students who will be able to acquire knowledge and skills which could be used to develop our country,” Luhanga said.

President for Mlare Secondary School Students Union, Sayamika Phiri, said the construction of a computer laboratory at their school will help learners get used to devices which are instrumental in today’s world.

 "As students, we are fascinated with technology and the laboratory will encourage and motivate us to learn and gain knowledge which we can use to uplift our communities,” he said.