Why e-learning has a promising future in Kenya

Like Kenya, many governments around the world have shut down schools and learning institutions as a measure to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 80 percent of the world’s student population has been impacted by these closures, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). In Kenya, Unesco notes that around 14.3 million learners have been impacted by school closures.

Thankfully, learning has not ground to a halt. In many countries, such as China, the US and most of Europe, students are being taught remotely using technology. Digital learning is also gaining momentum in Kenya, one of Africa’s leading technological hubs, where the mobile internet penetration rate stands at 83 percent (and rapidly growing) in comparison to 23 percent for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, according to data from GSMA, the industry lobby for mobile network operators globally.