Radio lessons come in handy for learners in remote parts of Isiolo

It is a cold Saturday morning and Mustafa Somo, a Form Four student at Isiolo Boys High School, continues to scroll through his mother’s smartphone with earphones put on and some books placed on the table outside their Kiwanjani home on the outskirts of Isiolo town.

One may think he is listening to music but drawing closer, you will realise that he is keenly listening to something while taking notes.

The student is among thousands in the county benefiting from a radio programme which aims at ensuring Class Eight and Form Four learners continue with their education while at home following the closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The programme seeks to ensure that the learners in Isiolo are at par with those in urban centres who can easily access e-learning materials.

PROJECT PARTNERS

Somo usually wakes up at 8am to prepare for the daily lessons aired on Angaaf radio from 9am to 12pm from Monday to Saturday.

The project, which was started by Isiolo Parents Association in partnership with the community radio, has attracted other partners including nominated Senator Abshiro Halake and the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT).

“The programme has come in handy because what is being taught is on areas that we had not covered by the time we were sent home over the coronavirus,” the student told the Nation during interview at their home.

The parents association Chairman Ismael Galma said the programme was majorly meant to help learners in far flung areas with poor network connectivity to easily follow the lessons like their colleagues in towns.

NO INTERNET ACCESS

“We were worried how the learners would continue with their education due to poverty and network challenges but resolved to use radio as many families do not have TV sets and therefore learners could not access the ongoing Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development teachings,” said Mr Galma.

With the ongoing harsh economic times, Mr Galma said, most of the parents could not afford internet bundles for their children to download learning materials online.

“We never wanted to take chances as schools could reopen any time and that is why we had to make sure our students are prepared in a friendly manner that would not be costly to their parents and guardians,” he added.

Kenya Secondary Schools Heads Association (Kessha) Isiolo Branch Chairman Abdi Diba said 15 secondary school subjects are being offered, with each lesson taking one hour.

The time entails 40 minutes for recap on previous lesson and 20 minutes for a question and answer session.

QUALITY EDUCATION

“We have picked over 20 best teachers from both public and private schools for our learners to have a taste of quality education,” said Mr Diba.

The teachers were initially being paid by Senator Abshiro before the NGO came on board and promised to facilitate their transport to the station and also their meals.

“This is part of our community activities and we will continue supporting the learners until the pandemic is over,” said Ibrahim Yarrow, the radio station manager.

While reiterating their commitment to empowering children in northern Kenya, NRT County Director Latif Boru said the focus is on the two classes as they are the most critical considering that they will soon sit national exams.

“We want to ensure that all the learners in the county continue with their education and particularly those from poor families and in areas with poor network connectivity,” said Mr Boru adding that plans are underway to extend the lessons to other classes in near future.

CHALLENGES TO LEARNERS

Ms Lydia Ntinyari, whose daughter is in Class Eight, hailed the project saying it will go long way in ensuring that learners continue with the syllabus in wake of the pandemic.

“I have to give her my phone each morning so that she can follow the sessions,” Ms Ntinyari said.

But learners have lamented over cases of listeners calling in to ask “irrelevant questions” in the middle of the lessons and the challenge in asking questions through phone calls.

“Sometimes, the conversation ends abruptly due to depletion of credit and when you call back, the teacher is probably responding to another question,” said one student.

And while for  Somo the programme has been resourceful, mathematics lessons have been the most challenging because the tutor cannot demonstrate the calculations due to lack of face-to-face interaction.

“We only have the option of revising with colleagues from other schools which is also challenging as their parents won’t allow us visit them due to coronavirus protocols,” Somo added.

Recently, the Northern Rangelands Trust issued over Sh200 million in bursaries and built facilities for learning institutions within the northern region to ensure that students have quality education and do not drop out of school.