Technology

Thika School harnesses technology to ease learning

pupils

Some of the pupils at Thika Primary School for the Blind listen to the audio curriculum converted from braille books. Photo/Simon Ciuri

Powered by technology and driven by the quest for education, a special school in Thika town is refreshing learning by giving blind students access to audio notes.

The voice systems have almost taken over the traditional Braille books, a big win given the model can accommodate a large number of students in a day.

Michael Wambua is a Class Seven pupil at Thika Primary School for the Blind. The 12-year-old is already conversant with the news trending in the country and is able to access the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) content through the audios.

“The introduction and use of computers in schools has improved my learning in terms of research and has also enabled me to  ‘read’ local newspapers,’’ Wambua told the Business Daily.

Irene Ndambi his classmate is also adapting to the change, which she shyly admits has enabled her to play online computer games and interact with friends in different schools through email and school blogs.

“The use of computers in schools has reduced boredom and we have created a network of friends across the country and learning has become easier,’’ Irene says.

The computers at the Thika Primary School for the Blind use a software called Victor Reader that converts the content into audio. The students use non-visual desktop access, a software that acts as a monitor for the visually impaired.

“There are lesson schedules every day where we handle five classes daily and the response has been very good,” says James Muriithi, an IT tutor at the school.

“The software has created self-reliance for the students and they can now send and receive emails and even create their own blogs,’’ said Mr Muriithi.

He says the computers come with a screen reader that captures the content and translates it into audio through a playback device that transmits information to the recipient.
Pupils select  material  that they want to read online  and after loading it automatically translates into  voice.

“When you install the software and activate it, it acts as a screen to people with visual impairment. We are five of us involved in offering information communication technology support and integrating it into the mainstream learning,’’ says Mr Muriithi who works  with a non-governmental  organisation that supplies the school ICT experts for free.

The school now mainly uses audio books for learning, and this has reduced the number of classes as this mode can accommodate a large number of pupils.

Penninah Mutuko, the deputy head teacher, says the use of the technology now starts in nursery school where the pupils are taught how to use the computer keyboard, to browse the Internet as well as locate academic content.

The computers at the school are a donation from mobile service provider Safaricom and Microsoft Kenya. AccessKenya supplies free Internet.

“Learning was very tiresome before we received the computers. It was purely physical Braille books. Safaricom donated 65 mini-laptops while Microsoft donated 30 desktops, with AccessKenya offering free Internet to the students. The support has been amazing with a huge positive impact,’’ says Ms Mutuko.

Since the institution received the computers, enrolment has gone up. The institute, which is supposed to accommodate only two hundred and seventy pupils, now hosts three hundred learners.

“The requests to admit more students has been overwhelming and we intend in few years to expand our facilities that will see us accommodate huge numbers and  additionally increase the number of computers  in the schools,’’ says Ms Mutuko.

The school currently has 36 teachers.

John Musau a senior teacher at the school says the introduction of audio books has hugely cut down on the cost of buying textbooks.

“Braille materials are expensive, with one going for roughly Sh20,000. But with the Victor Reader software we are able to access learning  materials at any given time in all the examinable subjects,’’ he says.

“A single pen for Braille lessons goes for Sh250 while the writing slate goes for Sh2,000, which is quiet exorbitant given that we have less than 20 of them here in school.

“Another  challenge is that the school gets its funds from the government, the Salvation Army  church  and well-wishers, with support sometimes  inadequate  given  the number  of students  we handle,’’ he says.

Ms Mutuko says she is happy to have played a central role in serving Kenyans with special needs.

“Even if I leave this place today, I would leave a happy person having known I made a  positive difference during my tenure,’’ says she.

The school recently emerged number three in the Thika West District examinations.

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