Communications company Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL) last week awarded excellence certificates and a total of M32 000 to 14 graduates from different institutions of higher learning.
The graduates are from National University of Lesotho (NUL), Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and Lerotholi Polytechnic. They were selected by the respective schools based on their performance in different courses as chosen by ETL, ranging from Business Administration, Marketing, Communication, Demography and Information Technology.
According to ETL chief executive, Dennis Plaatjies, the mobile network company has been rewarding best performing tertiary students for nearly a decade now. He said the company is proud of the strides it has made in supporting education initiatives in the country.
“Through our corporate social investment arm called HigherLife Foundation Lesotho, we pay over million Maloti worth of school fees per annum for orphaned and vulnerable children at tertiary and TVET colleges,” Plaatjies said.
He also indicated that the graduates who were receiving ETL awards are not part of the OVC’s that the company has assisted, but an additional group based on performance. He said because of the unemployment rate in the country, they believe what they gave the graduates will help them kick start something for themselves.
“The small amount that we gave them can help them start small businesses like being Ecocash agents in their villages while it also covers transportation costs for others to and from interviews or new job offers,” Plaatjies added.
Plaatjies also added that ETL invests in education because they believe that education is the key that opens many closed doors. He emphasized that giving children an education is like giving them a treasure that no one can take from them.
“We take pride in children who study and finish their studies. We become even prouder of those who pass their courses with distinctions.,” Plaajies said.
One of the graduates who received a certificate, Tṧitso Khetheng, thanked Econet for recognising them and giving them hope for the journey they are about to embark on.
“We thank ETL very much and we hope you can also hire some of us when you have vacancies because this stage of our lives requires us to support our families financially,” Khetheng, said who graduated in Statistics from NUL.
