To have digital learning, start laptop project
It is time the government implemented the laptop project from primary to tertiary levels of education and encouraged digital learning for nobody knows what the future holds as far as the pandemic is concerned.
What you need to know:
- It is time the government implemented the laptop project from primary to tertiary levels of education and encouraged digital learning for nobody knows what the future holds as far as the pandemic is concerned.
- The lack of enough infrastructure in terms of classrooms and learning halls is a pandemic on its own.
- Lessons can be streamed digitally and students who may have missed school for whatever reason would easily access and follow the online classes like their peers who were physically present.
The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us enough lessons, especially in the academic field. From a normal calendar to a very tight and compressed learning environment, compressing two academic year programmes into a year.
Unlike some institutions of higher learning like KCA University and University of Nairobi and others which fast-tracked remote learning in the early stages of the pandemic not to largely affect their academic calendars, primary and secondary schools and many technical training institutes have lagged behind for lack of the basic necessities to ensure smooth digital learning or literacy.
Technologies are evolving. It is time the government implemented the laptop project from primary to tertiary levels of education and encouraged digital learning for nobody knows what the future holds as far as the pandemic is concerned. It should also develop competitiveness in the digital world to become the fastest-growing digital country.
The Jubilee administration of 2013-2022 had pledged to roll out a laptop project in all public primary schools but not all were supplied, with children using toys in the name of laptops.
To fully realise the dream, the government should prioritise the idea and start by training primary and secondary school teachers who may be digital-illiterate or giving the many youths IT and digital media skills so as to guide the schools on a part-time or even full-time basis on how to navigate the content as far as digital learning and teaching are concerned.
Practical lessons
One might argue that practical lessons, especially in tertiary institutions, will not be effective but that is a lame argument. I am involved in a project that has been giving practical digital lessons at KCA University during the pandemic.
With the technical know-how on running the programme, as well as the use of video tutorials on YouTube and other platforms, digital learning will come off as the best thing that ever happened to our academia.
Absenteeism in schools, especially day institutions, has been a serious issue. The lack of enough infrastructure in terms of classrooms and learning halls is a pandemic on its own.
In many sub-county public schools, a classroom designed to host 40 students at the maximum will hold more than 80.
Lessons can be streamed digitally and students who may have missed school for whatever reason would easily access and follow the online classes like their peers who were physically present.
The same thing applies to teachers who may not be at school when they are supposed to teach.
Implementation of the laptop project will be the cornerstone to realising such a development. The Ministry of Education, in liaison with that of ICT, has a responsibility to deliver the long-delayed laptop promise that is silently being buried.
The development will assure Kenyans of more, greater improvements in other sectors. Let the government see the relevance and urgency of it.
Mr Asava, a digital media communication practitioner, is a student at KCA University. @SebastianKarani
