E-learning the way to go

Despite all the problems facing the Kenyan education sector, there is still a glimmer of hope looming in the horizon.

Just recently school headteachers meeting in Mombasa called for the review of the curriculum, saying it was outdated.

Among the positive initiatives coming out of the sector are plans by the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) to put learning materials for Form One and Two into a digital format.

This is a welcome boost for parents who have been complaining about the high cost of text books.

KIE deserves praise for taking the initiative by moving fast to deliver e-learning content to Kenyan schools.

The parastatal is teaming up with computer micro-processor manufacturer, Intel, and a software and computer parts maker, Mustek East Africa, to deliver the software and hardware.

The two companies will provide laptops to schools to enable students access the content.

This is a move in the right direction as the education sector needs to be in tandem with technological developments around the world.

The partnership is bound to herald positive changes in the education sector.

It would be naïve to claim we have a good curriculum if it didn’t contain elements that are conducive to the new world we live in where e-learning has now become the trend.

KIE will first digitise Form One and Two curriculum and Science and Mathematics subjects for Standards Four to Seven.

With the arrival of fibre optic cables, institutions like KIE will now be able to ensure many schools take up e-learning.

The cost of using the internet is also set to go down, making it possible for more schools to join the programme.

This will ensure parents and schools save on the costs of text books while the students will be exposed to a dynamic curriculum that will not be restricted to the classroom as they will be able to go beyond the local environment and be exposed to reading materials from around the world.

The e-learning programme will also help teachers become effective educators as they will be able to integrate technology into their daily operations.

The programme will also open up the rural areas and ensure the local students are at par with their urban counterparts.

The Education ministry needs to ensure that the children leave school computer literate and able to be absorbed into the job sector later.