With the touch of a finger off any mobile phone, students now have access to educational materials from a variety of topics or subjects, courtesy of the new and unique ATLEGA mobile education service. Orange Botswana, in partnership with Conexus Pty (Ltd), launched the revolutionary ATLEGA mobile education service in Gaborone on the 13th of March 2019.
A first of its kind in Botswana, this innovative platform works towards ensuring one of the greatest barriers to inclusive learning is addressed, that of access. It caters for the educational needs of students from standard one to form 5, being as inclusive and yet as focused as possible.
Globally, 80% of people have a smartphone and 90% of Millennials have their smartphone on them at all times. A fifth of them communicate only via smartphone, whilst, in Botswana, 3.3 million mobile connections exist. The opportunity exists to leverage digital platforms and innovations, well immersed in the populace, to help make the National Vision 2036 of an Educated and informed National and a truly knowledge-based economy a reality.
Lepata Mafa-Nthomola, Orange Botswana Director of Corporate Affairs, said, “Orange Botswana is committed to transforming and building a better Botswana by investing in and empowering future leaders, the youth. As mobile technology is poised to further revolutionise education, it is vital for us to support Government’s efforts in enhancing the quality of education and indeed access to quality education.”
She said, “This is articulated even in the widely subscribed to Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. We need to empower our students, and indeed their teachers, building a better Botswana by wholly investing in this with a long-term view.”
ATLEGA is accessible country-wide from any mobile connected to the Orange Network via USSD Code. It supplements what students have learnt in class, thus giving them access to content based on the Botswana National Curriculum. ATLEGA also takes into consideration those students with limited literacy or who are not as technology savvy, particularly those at primary school level. Accessing ATLEGA Service is easy.
Students simply need to follow the following steps:
- Simply dial the USSD Code *160#
- Follow the instructions
ATLEGA was designed in partnership with Conexus, a youth owned business Orange Botswana previously engaged to develop an e-learning application for the Orange Foundation Digital Schools programme. The collaboration speaks to empowerment of local start-ups and partnering with like-minded organisations to find solutions that drive socio- economic development. It further builds upon one of the pillars of the Orange Foundation, under CSR, to boost Mobile4Development (M4D).
Mrs. Mafa-Nthomola, Managing Director of ATLEGA, said “Collaboration of this nature, we believe, only enhances potential impact. We need to all work together towards a common goal that is uplifting our Nation and making a significant contribution to our economy. Together we have to raise the bar higher and strengthen our partnerships by staying connected.”
