Global digitization is shaking up many nations in Africa, and for this reason Kenyan kids are on the brink of a technology major scoop. The country is seeking to live up to its status as the technology hub of East Africa by providing laptop computers to primary school pupils. This is actually one of what could turn out to be the legacy of the new administration.
There are a lot of other digitization plans underway in the country which includes adoption of digital television broadcast system to take over from the traditional terrestrial television broadcast system. This shift is not only expected to create room for more TV channels, but also create employments for millions of unemployed youths in the country.
The laptop devices for school-children will be solar powered because quite a sizeable area of the country is not yet covered by electricity. However, there also spirited efforts by the government to connect the whole country to the national electricity grid. In the same breath, the national electricity distributor is also changing to prepaid consumption while dropping the more traditional post-paid system for electricity consumption.
Creating a techno-savvy generation looks like a daunting task but the benefits are incredible and this is the source of motivation to the new government that is pushing for the project. Providing laptop computers to school-children was one of the prominent promises made by the new administration. There has always been a desire to create a digital general and this is best captured by government policies and slogans hinged on the same.
This ambitious laptop project has attracted international and local ICT providers who are seeking for the tender to supply the devices. This is a multibillion shilling project that would be carried out each year as schools admit fresh Standard One pupils. The whole school ICT project is expected to create job opportunities for many unemployed people directly and indirectly.
The most prominent shortcoming of this project is that it excludes pupils from informal schools which are mostly community-run and situated in slums around the cities. Most, if not all of the pupils learning in the so-called informal schools come from very poor societies in which neither parents nor schools can afford to make available laptops of computers for their study. Equal ICT development cannot therefore be attained in the country if the children learning in informal schools are left out.
There is another downside to this laptop for primary schools project. Majority of tutors in public primary schools are hardly computer literate. This poses a challenge on how the project would meet its object with such an ill-equipped human resource, and besides an unreliable human resource, there is also the problem of teacher shortage.
The problem of teacher shortage could sabotage this ambitious project given that it has been one of the bones of contention between teachers and government in the country. In several occasions teachers have abandoned classrooms to protest unfair workload. It therefore follows that while the laptop project for the Kenyan kids in public primary schools has feasible benefits, grumbling among tutors might hurt its success.
There are a lot of other digitization plans underway in the country which includes adoption of digital television broadcast system to take over from the traditional terrestrial television broadcast system. This shift is not only expected to create room for more TV channels, but also create employments for millions of unemployed youths in the country.
The laptop devices for school-children will be solar powered because quite a sizeable area of the country is not yet covered by electricity. However, there also spirited efforts by the government to connect the whole country to the national electricity grid. In the same breath, the national electricity distributor is also changing to prepaid consumption while dropping the more traditional post-paid system for electricity consumption.
Creating a techno-savvy generation looks like a daunting task but the benefits are incredible and this is the source of motivation to the new government that is pushing for the project. Providing laptop computers to school-children was one of the prominent promises made by the new administration. There has always been a desire to create a digital general and this is best captured by government policies and slogans hinged on the same.
This ambitious laptop project has attracted international and local ICT providers who are seeking for the tender to supply the devices. This is a multibillion shilling project that would be carried out each year as schools admit fresh Standard One pupils. The whole school ICT project is expected to create job opportunities for many unemployed people directly and indirectly.
The most prominent shortcoming of this project is that it excludes pupils from informal schools which are mostly community-run and situated in slums around the cities. Most, if not all of the pupils learning in the so-called informal schools come from very poor societies in which neither parents nor schools can afford to make available laptops of computers for their study. Equal ICT development cannot therefore be attained in the country if the children learning in informal schools are left out.
There is another downside to this laptop for primary schools project. Majority of tutors in public primary schools are hardly computer literate. This poses a challenge on how the project would meet its object with such an ill-equipped human resource, and besides an unreliable human resource, there is also the problem of teacher shortage.
The problem of teacher shortage could sabotage this ambitious project given that it has been one of the bones of contention between teachers and government in the country. In several occasions teachers have abandoned classrooms to protest unfair workload. It therefore follows that while the laptop project for the Kenyan kids in public primary schools has feasible benefits, grumbling among tutors might hurt its success.
About the Author:
Discover how you can help Kenyan kids and orphans today by reviewing the information at kenyagivehope.com. If you wish to get involved with our organization, simply contact us via http://kenyagivehope.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment