Pupils of Arap Moi Primary School during the handing over of the Samsung Solar-Powered Internet School in May. SALATON NJAU
What you need to know:
Haier is carrying out a pilot project of its e-learning solution at Little Lamb School in Eldoret.
It joins firms such as Samsung and Safaricom that have rolled out similar initiatives in Arap Moi Primary School in Ongata Rongai and Starehe Boys Centre respectively.
E-learning is quickly gaining traction among private and public schools, attracting a number of IT vendors, with Haier being the latest.
Haier, which is carrying out a pilot project of its e-learning solution at Little Lamb School in Eldoret, joins firms such as Samsung and Safaricom that have rolled out similar initiatives in Arap Moi Primary School in Ongata Rongai and Starehe Boys Centre respectively.
Microsoft has also been reportedly eying the sector with computer labs, showing a growing interest by local and multinational firms in supplying devices such as computers, e-boards, tablets and laptops.
Haier is targeting this market segment with a variety of systems, including e-learning which will either be a solution dubbed thin-client, laptop or tablet-based.
With the thin-client solution, a school only needs to invest in one personal computer and multiple terminal devices that consist of monitors and keyboard that are connected to the host device. This helps the schools to reduce costs on equipment and energy consumption by up to 70 per cent.
Other features of the solution are an interactive e-border that is connected to a projector that doe not require sketching diagrams on a black board.
“The overhead projector (visualiser) has really helped because I don’t have to sketch diagrams on a chalk board. I simply place the book on it and the whole class is able to see exactly what I want them to see,” said Dolly Anjili , the principal of Little Lamb School that is piloting the Haier solution.
The school has been using the system for over eight months now. She said using one computer as a server had made her work easier because they did not have to install programmes on every computer.
But she added that they needed more training, especially on how to connect the smart board to the printer, which is currently a challenge for the teachers using the solution.
“The smart board and the light pens work well, but I realise it has more than we know. We therefore need more training on it. I realise I can use the light pen to select and print, but I don’t know how to add the printer to it. We have problems with settings.”
An e-board or smart board allows for cross-group collaboration between and among educators and learners across geographical boundaries.
It can run video conferencing, access the Internet and connect to other computers simultaneously, providing an interactive learning and teaching experience for both the educators and learners.
The e-board has content recording features for the teachers and is also capable of sending and receiving files from teachers to students, and vice-versa.
Amit Mohindra, operations director at BS Mohindra and Co in Kenya, who are Haier’s local agents, said the firm will set up an e-learning experience centre in the next two months where schools can learn how the solution works.
“We plan to also have other systems in schools for testing and to have an e-learning experience centre in two months for the public to come and see our products,” Mr Mohindra said. He said Haier is betting on the quality of its products and what he termed affordable pricing to attract clients.
The bundled solution consists of a smart board, 40 multiple devices, a projector and host server for the teacher and is available at between Sh2.1 million and Sh2.6 million.
A Samsung solar-powered Internet classroom that consists of a 40-foot shipping container, 25 Galaxy tablets, a multi-purpose printer, a 50-inch electronic board, a server, Internet and the solar panels is being sold for Sh12.9 million.
“There are two key advantages that we have. The first is the experience we have in deploying these systems on a large scale. Another key advantage is that Haier can provide an all-encompassing solution whereby we are able to tailor- make the system based on the needs, requirements and budgets of the end user,” Mr Mohindra said.
Other than Kenya, Haier has also rolled out similar e-learning solution to countries such as Argentina, India, Ivory Coast and Malaysia, among others. The firm, established in 1984, had a turnover of $30 billion (Sh2.6 trillion) last year and has 24 manufacturing plants across the world.
