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Neotel delivers Maths Lab at Willowvale, with King Sigcau to bridge education divide


Johannesburg, 04 Mar 2015

Neotel today further expanded its Maths Lab programme with the launch of a mathematics laboratory in Willowvale, in the Eastern Cape, at the Nqadu Primary and High School.

Neotel continues to challenge the status quo and make ICT simpler for its customers, but at the same time, through its partnerships, Neotel also aims to contribute to bridging the education divide and making education fun.

Neotel and NIIT jointly launched the N2 initiative in 2013 to provide leading-edge education solutions to primary and secondary schools to help build the maths and science competencies and address the education divide. Working with various government entities and NIIT, over 350 Maths Labs have been deployed across Gauteng, the Free State and the Eastern Cape, with all three provinces already implementing the Maths Lab to help learners improve their skills and become more proficient in Mathematics.

The Maths Lab is an ICT-enabled laboratory with state-of-the-art technology, providing learners with the opportunity to explore mathematical concepts and verify mathematical facts and theorems using technology and manipulative tools. A recent study conducted by NIIT on the impact of the Maths Labs shows there has been an upwards of 20% improvement in learners participating in the Math Labs, and therefore enabling an improved learning environment, and eventually, pass rates. In addition to the Maths Labs, N2 also has the capability to provide world-class ICT curriculum to secondary and tertiary institutions to help them with meaningful ICT curriculum that can also address some of the IT skills shortage in the country.

Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel, commented: "Neotel is committed to delivering innovative solutions that will have a positive impact on the everyday lives of South Africans. The Maths Lab initiative is one tool that can help to achieve this by assisting in bridging the digital divide between rural and urban schools."

NIIT mentions that the N2 initiative was formed with an objective to leverage specific competencies and provide education and training programmes to individuals, corporate, communities, schools and other organisations in order to meet the demand of the maths, science and ICT-related skills.

With less than a third of South Africa's population completing matric, the continued roll-out of the Maths Labs comes at a critical time. These Math Labs are being made a reality by funding from government, private institutions as well as other CSI initiatives. The education crisis is particularly acute in higher-grade maths, science and technology education, where it is estimated that one-third of schools offering these subjects achieved pass rates of less than 20%.

"For any country to find its economic footing, there is a growing need to raise its performance in science, mathematics and information technology skills. For South Africa, turning this situation around is key to the future well-being of its citizens and for its competitiveness, both locally and globally," explains Joshi.

"We are delighted to receive this gracious gift of educating our children so they can be more equipped for their life ahead. While implementing the Maths Lab, Neotel also trained our teachers in ICT and equipped them to use the tools to make learning fun. This is a fantastic initiative for the region and will be very valuable to our children for times to come. We thank Neotel for their support in our community," said His Excellency King Sigcau.

Kennedy Memani, Board Member Neotel and Chairman Nexus Connexion, comments: "It is commendable that Neotel chose this area that is in need of development. This will go a long way in creating a sustainable economic activity for the area. I am truly delighted with this Maths Lab initiative."

Neotel will continue to seek the aid and funding support from government and other businesses in order to continue to implement such Maths Labs around the country.

"As a business that is committed to making a measurable and sustainable difference, Neotel is combining the delivery of educational content with its capability to provide communication and connectivity. This provides alignment to the company strategy, but moreover, a contribution to ensuring a better life for all South Africans," concludes Joshi.

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Neotel

Neotel is South Africa's first converged communications network operator. It provides a range of value-added voice, Internet and data services for businesses, wholesale network operators and providers, and retail customers using its IP next-generation network, powered by Neotel's high-performance fibre-optic backbone.

Neotel connects the major centres in South Africa to each other and to the world, directly linking its infrastructure into Tata Communications' global network. Neotel offers fresh thinking, a creative approach and flexible solutions for communications in South Africa. The company continues to invest in developing a world-class fibre network infrastructure which now spans Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth and traverses approximately 42 other cities, towns and villages in South Africa.

Visit www.neotel.co.za.

Editorial contacts

Palesa Ntshalintshali
Epic Communications
(+27) 11 784 4790
palesa@epicmslgroup.com