Headed by its chairperson Sabina Chege, the committee seeks to with
best practices, insights on the practicality of the project, and
challenges, as the Kenyan government prepares to issue laptops to
Standard One pupils beginning January, 2014.
The tour is sponsored by Mount Kenya University's Institute of
Capacity Building. Rwanda applies the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) method
of bringing digitization to schools, invented by Massachusetts
Institute of Technology Professor Nicholas Negroponte in 2005. It is a
low-cost laptop ($200 a piece) that allows a multi-media approach to
learning. Besides Rwanda, the OLPC is also used in Peru and Uruguay.
The Kenya laptop project, which envisions a free laptop for every
Standard One pupil next year, has been mired in controversy. The Sh52
billion earmarked for the project (Sh15 billion in the first phase) is
seen in some political quarters as a case of misplaced priorities in
expenditure, considering the lack of adequate infrastructure to support
the project. Hiring more teachers and building classrooms especially in
marginalized areas are seen as more urgent educational issues vis a vis
purchasing laptops.
"But seeing the Rwanda model, its affordability and how it has
transformed learning and general development even in the remotest of
areas, time is ripe for Kenya to roll out the project," said
NkubitoBakuramutsa, National Coordinator, OLPC. "This is a great
equalizer especially where the disparity between urban and rural
teachers is great."
He says that Kenya should not be worried out infrastructure,
especially lack of electricity in rural areas to power the laptops. "The
Rwanda experience shows the development went in tandem. Where we aimed
to roll out the project, electrification followed and this has proven
beneficial to the whole community."
Rwanda has 200,000 laptops in over 400 schools. Its school laptop
project is ranked first in Africa and third in the world. "More than
just placing the laptops in the hands of pupils, the programme includes a
massive capacity building exercise for teachers on both basic ICTs but
also and more importantly the methodology of teaching using digital
content," says MrBakuramutsa.
So far, the OLPC Programme has trained close to 10,000 teachers
providing them with the tools to access content on servers and equipping
them with the ability to improve students' understanding of complex
concept in mathematics and science through visualization and
interactivity provided by digital lessons. "The programme also enables
teachers to improve their own knowledge with various e-books and
language lessons," says MrBakuramutsa.
The Rwandan OLPC programme also includes the implementation of an
eco-system to complement the usage of laptops. Each school in Rwanda is
receiving a server with a management and information system and digital,
graphic-rich, interactive courses in mathematics, science and English
providing to students a ludic, self paced environment for learning.
Two hundred schools have been equipped each with servers and wireless
local area network linking the laptops to the digital content. Students
are also enabled to engage in a variety of course and creative subjects
such as the creation of school newsletters or the building of projects
through basic programing languages.
This year, five schools in Rwanda participated in the
MassachusettsInstitute of Technology International Scratch Day, where
pupils published their programs from the Kigali Public Library.
This month, Rwanda will host its first national programing contest,
where all technology-enabled schools will compete for the best
programing project. As Kenya issues laptops to pupils joining Standard
One in 2014, their counterparts in Rwanda will start taking programing
and read/write exams using laptops.
But is the project funded? "The $40million (Sh3.4 billion) used up so
far has been entirely from the government," says MrBakuramutsa. He adds
that this laptop project has offered to various ICT infrastructure
providers and digital content developers from the private sector
opportunities for participation.
"Be it a manufacturing assembly plant, a modern call center or
maintenance facilities all over the country, this program is actively
driving towards the setup of a Technopole, which will propel the country
ICT sector."
Awendo MP Jared Opiyosays of concern for the Kenyan government should
be the recurrent expenditure from purchasing laptops every years and
training of teachers. Rwanda issues the laptops to pupils between P4 and
P6 (equivalent of Standard 4 and Standard 6). "Look at the population
of Kenya's pupils in comparison with that of Rwanda. Our children are
very many. The replacement rate of the laptops and wear and tear should
also be of concern."
Mbooni MP Michael Munyao said the Rwanda model shows the laptop
project is implementable but if rolled out in a systematic way with
requisite infrastructural support. "I would like to challenge the
education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi to visit Rwanda and see this
model. This is the best laptop. It's simple, and user friendly."
The director of Institute of Capacity Building Dr Jane Njuru suggests
that Kenya should come up with a three-week implementation strategy
that will bring in all the stakeholders to iron out issues surrounding
training of teachers and infrastructural support for the project. "The
task of roll it out countrywide could be overwhelming for the
government. In this case, the project should be implemented in a few
schools first."
Mount Kenya University Chairman Simon Gicharu said the Institute of
Capacity Building is prepared to walk along with the project to ensure
its success.
The Institute of Capacity Building uses problem-based learning
methods to provided the needed professional skills in the government and
private sector.
ALLAFRICA
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