The government has set aside Sh. 64 Billion for the implementation of the second phase of the digital literacy project that will now be used to construct computer labs in all public schools.
The second phase will add to the first phase that led to the distribution of 1,169,000 tablets to 21,638 public primary schools across the country.
The money will also be used in buying computers that will be used in the digital literacy program. The funds had been converted from tablets for school children and now to the construction of computer labs in every school.
As the plan was incepted in 2016, the government had planned to supply 95 percent of learners in Class 1 with tablets.
Unfortunately, the implementation of the plan did not succeed with just 5 percent of schools affecting the use of the acquired tablets.
To boost the project, the ICT Authority hosted 65 officers gotten from 15 government agencies and partners who developed the Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) Master Plan to guide in the implementation of the program.
ICT Authority Chief Executive Officer Katherine Getao said that the Digital Literacy Programme is still ongoing and at that moment, more than 1.2 million tablets had been installed in 21,638 public primary schools.
“The first phase of the project has been completed. A total of 331,000 teachers have been trained and content access, continuously, is being provided to public primary schools through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD),” said the ICT CEO.
Getao said that Sh. 31 billion had been invested into the first phase so far.
She said that the DLP was an important aspect in delivering the 21st Century skills to children to get information, learn how to use devices, and reading in different subject areas.
President Uhuru Kenyatta started the Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) in 2016.
During the 2013 Presidential campaigns, the DLP project was one of the sticking points that President Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto convinced Kenyans to vote for them.
According to the duos manifesto, the project was intended to provide laptops. The laptop idea was later shelved and swapped to tablets for every kid in Grade 1.
However, the number of gadgets distributed over the years had only been for Grade 1 learners and they are directed to leave them behind once they proceed to the next class.
Other challenges derailing the DLP is the lack of electricity in schools as most schools have either been disconnected due to unpaid power bills or do not have access to mains supply electricity.
In February 2019, the Ministry of Education announced that they have jumped ship again from providing tablets to now building computer labs in schools.
Former Basic Education PS, Belio Kipsang said in February that every one of the 25,000 public schools will get one computer laboratory.
PS Kipsang as he presented the budgetary proposals to the National Assembly’s Education Committee in February, told the committee that there has been a policy change in the program from one-child-one laptop to the construction of computer laboratories for the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
In the program, the ICT Authority is supporting the efforts of the government of integrating ICT into teaching and learning in Kenya.
The program intends to support the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
The CBC includes aspects of critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, and innovation intended to prepare learners to be able to competitively participate in a knowledge-based economy.