Top-performing schools to share lessons via Internet

In the outskirts of Marsabit at Goro Rukessa Mixed Day Secondary School, a teacher types examination questions on a laptop, the only computer in the school.

The computer was bought with the assistance of the school board, and the school has no electricity. After that, the teacher will head out to Marsabit town, 12km away, to look for a printer.
Meanwhile at Starehe Boys Centre, Joseph Michuki, a Form Three student, scrolls a Samsung tablet as he explains what the technology has delivered.
“We can learn very first and (this) makes education practical…what you are learning, you can see it happen,” says Michuki.

For students at Goro Rukessa, this kind of technology is a dream but the government now wants to  make it a reality by linking  such schools with top-performers in the Kenya Secondary Education Certificate (KCSE), such as Mang’u and Maranda Secondary School. 

Teachers from the top performing schools will prepare content  that  will be stored in Safaricom’s Cloud to be shared across the country.

The government anticipates that the use of technology will also spark teachers’ creativity in preparing their lessons and in being innovative in communicating concepts.

The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Bitange Ndemo, says the government is determined to bridge the gap in use of technology in schools.

 “Being able to connect and interact with lessons being taught elsewhere — across the country  or the world — is an exciting way to share knowledge,” says Dr Ndemo. 
By use of smart boards, tablet computers and the Internet, Starehe Boys Centre, Safaricom and InterSol have developed a learning management system that is set to change the way students access learning materials and interact with teachers.
“We borrowed this from MIT, no country has tried before… education will never be the same again,” says Dr Ndemo.

The platform, for example, makes it possible for schools with no laboratories to, in real time, participate remotely in lessons with their counterparts who have access to laboratories.
“Not only will students from these schools and those in remote areas be able to share content, but it will also make it possible for teachers to interact and share knowledge, thus bridging the gap,” says Dr Ndemo.

President Kibaki, while speaking at Starehe Boys Centre during the school Founders’ Day when he launched the system, called on schools to embrace the technology saying it will help students become more competent

“All our lessons will be recorded and shared on the Safaricom Cloud for other students in this country and the world over to watch and listen to,” said Isaac Kinyanjui, who is in charge of the ICT programme at Starehe Boys Centre.

Already nine teachers from the school have recorded their lessons.

The smart board is an interactive white board that works seamlessly with computer applications. According to Intersol (K) Chairman John Sawers, each smart set comprises a speaker, a projector and the board. The cost of a set ranges from a Sh450,000 to Sh600,000, depending on the specifications.

However, Mr Sawers says the board works on 240V power supply which may be a challenge to schools with no electricity connection.

According to Ronald Osumba, senior manager public sector, those interested in accessing the information will part with a little money.

“We are working with vendors to make these devices more affordable,” explains Mr Osumba. “We are working with Starehe to define the cost… Ideally, it  will cost a dollar or less to access a class, but we are yet to come up with the rates.”

Safaricom says it plans to get KIE’s approval on content produced at Starehe Boys Centre. 
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