By Seleoe Nonyane
Vodacom Lesotho Financial Services (VCLFS) has handed over M100 000 to Sefate Sa Bophelo English Medium School at Lesia Ha Thetsane.
This was part of VCLFS ‘Pay School Fees with M-Pesa’ campaign which rewards users for paying schools fees using this platform.
Speaking at the handover ceremony on Wednesday this week, the managing director of VCLFS, Palesa Mphunyetsane, encouraged parents to continue paying for their children’s fees via M-Pesa as there are still more exciting benefits to come.
Mphunyetsane said M-Pesa has transformed the lives of many Basotho and added value to education as children do not miss school in long queues at banks waiting to pay their fees.
She noted that M-Pesa has made life easier not only for students but also for parents as payments are done in the comfort of their homes.
“M-Pesa is not just a technological innovation; it is a tool for social inclusion, enabling fee payment and keeping learners in school,” she added.
On behalf of the school, ‘Makarabo Mohato said the company cares for the lives of Basotho and this is evident by the ‘Pay fees with M-Pesa’ campaign.
Mohato indicated that since parents now pay their children’s fees with M-Pesa, it has saved the school a lot of time as the institution’s finance staff no longer have to endure the painstaking task of counting huge amounts of cash.
“Paying fees with M-Pesa has come in handy and reduced conflicts between parents and the school’s finance department.
“Sometimes we would not recall whether we had received fees from parents or not, and that often resulted in squabbles. But now after paying with M-Pesa, we receive an SMS notification which serves as proof of payment,” she said.
Mohato added that the campaign has also enhanced the school’s filing system and ensured that there is no misuse of funds.
Sefate Sa Bophelo English Medium is the fourth school to benefit from the campaign since its inception in 2017.
In 2018 VCLFS presented a fully equipped computer lab to Lesotho High School.
The VCLFS has also provided free internet connectivity to more than 100 schools, enabling digital learning and access to content for learners.
