CA to work with county to take ICT in rural areas
The communication authority (CA)of Kenya has opened its wings to work closely with the county governments to help youths have access to information and digital literacy and invest in skills transfer for youths in rural areas.
The collaboration seeks to empower the youth and create a platform where they can explore their options and learn how to integrate ICT into their business to make it more efficient and create a competitive edge for their products and services.
Speaking during the annual general meeting at Saint Mary’s Kibabii boys high school in Kanduyi constituency director of communication authority of Kenya Engineer Francis Wangusi said the move is for the Future initiative, which bridges digital divide between the academia and industry and aims at promoting local talents.
“We believe in empowering the youth and creating an opportunity for them to grow as individuals and contribute to the development of this country,” said Dr. Wangusi.
According to him, the number of internet users in Kenya has grown to 94.4 percent as per the end of last year.
He also added that the CA is working hand in hand with all schools across the country to impact the young out coming innovators with a loop hole to their future. He said that it will build partnership throughout the counties to encourage the youth to take up technology in their day-to-day business.
He added that the partnership will see emerging Kenyan entrepreneurs transforming their business processes through ICT.
“We are trying to work with all county governments in addressing system to streamline the bases of ICT countrywide.” He added.
Also he unveiled that the CA is sponsoring innovative students to exhibit their knowledge globally. The targeted youth are from universities, business schools, talented out of school youth, underprivileged but innovative and creative youth who can change the future of the country.
The selected youth will undergo wholistic training in ICT for business, financial literacy and entrepreneurship, business law and life skills to enable them have a good idea to format this world into income generating sphere.
However, he said for the fruits of ICT to be realized, there is need to tackle the challenge of ICT-illiterate teachers by equipping them with the requisite skills.
“Teachers are the pillars of any change in the education sector they are the implementers of the policies,” He echoed.
Dr. Wangusi said the journey towards e-learning has been relatively smooth. Having began just over a decade ago, the ministry of Education, through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), has engaged well in both policy and training.
Wangusi applauded the effort that the government has taken saying the numerous e-learning seminars for education stakeholders that have seen publishers and ICT experts present papers on the way forward. In addition, KICD has led by example by offering e-materials both on its website and libraries are a huge step towards the realization of the CA vision.
He believes that once this generation embraces ICT, e-books will mushroom on the Internet like fast food cafeterias. This means mainstream publishers as well as self-published authors will be forced to produce most of their books in e-formats.
However, he noted that the government would have to make sure that the appropriate content is available. He added this be a wake-up call to education stakeholders to revisit their policies on e-learning in order to curb the cyber crime cases.
He urged the parents to carefully protect their children from evil contents that are circulating online like bushfire. As a matter of policy, the authority is keen on the rise of the vice saying it has contributed the spread of terrorist
“When probed about privacy, many children and young people stated techniques they use to hide their digital and social media behavior from parents and teachers,” Wangusi said.
“While they may be interested to learn digital safety, they prefer to learn from their peers and do not believe their parents possess the necessary skills to inform them.” he added.
Wangusi who promised to donate fifty computers and free one year internet services to Kibabii high school said the school becomes second after Kwale high school in Kwale County to receive the donation.
The Bungoma KUPPET chairman Denison Barasa urged the ministry of education formulate the current 8-4-4 system before switching to new system. The chair cried on the negligence made by ministry on has led to the dying of the system.
Barasa also asked the ministry to engage all stake holders in ironing out the challenges that the ministry saw to the system.
On his side the school principal Mr. Mathews Namunwa asked for support from the alluminai and other stake holders to facilitated the putting up of new infrastructures that can help to curb the high population of the students in the school.
