College of Medicine partners TNM for affordable e-learning services
College of Medicine (CoM) and TNM plc on Friday launched a partnership in which students will be offered 10GB data bundle for online learning and have access to over 10 000 books on Buku Digital Library.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje said the innovative partnership has potential benefits for the wider higher education sector in the country.
She said: “Academic institutions are facing several challenges as they adapt to closures due to Covid-19. Over five million children, youths and adults in the country have not been attending schools or universities. This may have profound negative socio-economic effects on children, families and corresponding social structures.”
The minister called for the need to find ways to manage the disease and to limit disruptions to society, saying the pandemic is here to stay.
On his part, CoM principal Mwapatsa Mipando said the partnership will enable students to continue with Emergency Remote Teaching.
“TNM has accepted to offer data bundle for e-learning at a very affordable rate and students will be accessing e-books on the Buku platform at any time anywhere,” he said.
TNM chief executive officer Michiel Buitelaar said the mobile phone network service provider believes that all Malawians deserve access to high-quality digital education.
He said: “These services will enable students to access all relevant study materials on different education sites and access e-books through smartphones, tablets and computers, both online and offline.
“Apart from increasing access to digital learning, we are also working on other affordable offers to keep students connected and we will give more details in the coming days.”
