Potraz Commissions 14 school labs in Masvingo

Telecommunications Regulator Potraz has commissioned 14 school labs in Masvingo Province.

Addressing various stakeholders on Thursday, Potraz Director General Dr Gift Machengete said the commissioning of the ICT labs was to ensure that no one and no place is left behind in terms of connectivity.

“To ensure no school is left behind, today we are officially commissioning fourteen (14) School Computer Labs in Masvingo Province. For me personally there is no better way of starting the year- starting the year by commissioning a whooping fourteen (14) school computer labs,”

“We shall certainly continue on the same trajectory as we accelerate the ICT Lab per school program as we move in haste to reach all corners of the country,” he said.

Meanwhile Dr Machengete also spoke of some of the e-learning milestones achieved by Potraz in 2022.

“In 2022 a total of 1117 schools were connected to the Internet under the Schools Connectivity Programme. An additional 672 Schools and 17 institutions of Higher and Tertiary Learning, including Polytechnics and Vocational Training Centres, were provided with 12 months bandwidth under the ICTs for disaster management programme, as a way of alleviating the impact of COVID -19,”

“In terms of setting up of School Computer Laboratories, the program for which we are all gathered here, in 2022, the Authority equipped 186 computer laboratories at various schools’ country wide with a minimum of 30 computers each. The total number of computers disbursed to schools during the year is 4280,” Dr Machengete added.

Apart from the e-learning initiatives Potraz also connected
955 health centres to the internet with one year bandwidth subscription being paid for each of the centres. Additionally, A total of 249 Police Stations were connected to the Internet under the E-Government Programme.

Construction of 32 new Community Information Centres are now at various stages of completion and the establishment of an ICT vocational training centre at Marondera Open Female Prison to ensure inmates are not left behind in the digital economy is currently underway.