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Government, UNESCO and Huawei launch new report on Kenya’s DigiSchool Project
In today’s digital era, the internet plays a critical role in ensuring continued provision and access to quality teaching, learning and management of education across all levels. Recognizing this, the Kenyan Government initiated the Digital Literacy Programme (DLP), popularly known as DigiSchool Programme aimed at transforming teaching and learning by integrating technology into the learning environment. With support from Huawei and in partnership with UNESCO and the Kenya ICT Authority, 13 schools were connected to the internet under Kenya's National Optic Fiber Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI). Now two years since the start of this transformative effort, teachers and learners have reported overwhelming positive benefits of internet connectivity to the quality and inclusivity of education in the selected beneficiary schools.
Presenting the findings from the Internet Connectivity to Schools project evaluation report, Mr. Martin Kungania from the Ministry of Education shared that internet access improved access to education for learners in rural areas, particularly girls and those with disabilities. The lessons learned from the new evaluation report will be an important guide for the education sector as it strives towards attaining the goals of the Kenya Digital Masterplan 2022.
Students and teachers were also invited to share their experiences of internet-enabled learning environments in a panel discussion. Notably, the learners expressed increased enthusiasm to use the internet for guided learning and research. They also felt that STEM lessons were more captivating because internet-enabled ICT tools through real-time virtual demonstration of scientific processes.
Initially, it was quite boring to always have the teacher teaching some concepts in class, such as the mole concept in chemistry. However, by using the internet, you can easily see how the formula is used to derive the solutions.
In his keynote address, Dr. Kipsang stressed the role of technology and internet connectivity as a critical enabler of educational and social inclusivity. Connecting schools, he pointed out, is also the first step to connecting communities, since neighboring homes around connected schools also benefit from investments in local infrastructure.
Moreover, for internet connectivity in schools to succeed, Dr. Belio R. Kipsang pointed out that: “All sectors must collaborate and work towards providing the required infrastructure and manpower for this requirement.” Powering DigiSchools throughout the country is a multi-ministry long-term effort to which the government is committed. This effort, co-led by other ministries, will ultimately ensure that every school has access to electricity, water and the internet.
What we are doing today is investing in our children and investing in the future.
Dr. Kipsang was also joined at the event by the Internet Connectivity to Schools project partners including Mr. Stanley Kamanguya, ICT Authority CEO; Mr. Steven Zhang, Huawei Kenya Deputy CEO; Mr. Mamadou Lamine Sow, Head of Education Sector, UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for Eastern Africa; and Dr. James Njogu, Acting Secretary General, Kenya National Commission for UNESCO.
The event concluded with an award ceremony for the winners of the DigiSchool Creative Competition, which invited submissions of essays and drawings from learners of the 13 schools in the pilot programme. The competition challenged learners to reflect on the impact of internet on their education through their creativity. Sixteen learners were provided with tablets. Amatu Primary School in Meru County won the category for outstanding school from the effort of their students and were given 3 tablets and a smart printer.
According to the report 98% of learners indicated that the internet help meet their educational needs, while schools reported to have saved Ksh120,000 for mobile data bundles. 84% of learners said that the internet makes learning more exciting, 71% said it makes complex ideas easier to understand, while 54% said it makes learning more engaging,
Several attendees also called attention to the need for stakeholders to work together to protect children from the potential harms and dangers of the internet, while continuing to realize its potential to transform education and society.
Looking forward, the report also made several key recommendations:
- Prioritize and expand school connectivity to further enhance education quality, accessibility, and equity;
- Extend training in digital skills and the responsible use of the internet for teachers, school administrators, learners, and where applicable, parents;
- Develop guidelines within schools to regulate the use of the internet and tech gadgets;
- Continue to connect schools via National Optic Fiber Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI), as it is both affordable and reliable;
- Step up collaboration between stakeholders to rapidly provide sustainable internet to all schools in a way that minimizes the initial connectivity costs and recurring expenditures;
- Establish community internet hubs to facilitate online access for the community surrounding schools.
