The Government will distribute laptops to all public primary schools in the country by the end of the year. Speaking during the official launch of the digital program in Ortum Primary school, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru said that the government will distribute the tablets to all 23,000 public schools in the country.
Mucheru said that the government will take 1.2 million digital tablets to all schools. He said that the government has trained 70, 000 teachers on ICT across the cross country and installed electricity in schools. “We want to ensure that Kenya becomes digital and make sure that we move from analogue to digital,” he said.
Mucheru said that only 500 schools in the country are not connected to electricity. The CS said that already 9 schools in each county have received the tablets. The CS cited that by next week, all cabinet secretaries and permanent secretaries will distribute to various schools in all counties in the Country within the coming thirty days.
He said that the government will start manufacturing the digital devices in the country. One hundred and ten tablets were issued to 85 standard one pupils in Ortum Primary school. The school head teacher Mr.Nicholas Lokuk lauded the government for implementing the project. “We thank the government for honoring its pledge,” he said.
Mr. Lokuk urged the government to help build a computer lab in the school and to provide them with solar panels to help during electricity outages .
West Pokot Education and ICT County Executive member Gladys Kiyap yap said that the county government will collaborate with the national government to make sure the project succeeds. “We are committed to supporting the program,” she said.
Kiyap yap urged learners to work hard now and improve on digital skills now that they have moved to a digital world.
Earlier the Cabinet secretary paid a courtesy call to the West Pokot governor Simon Kachapin who thanked the national government for the noble initiative that will transform the education sector.
Kachapin said the project will help learners in the area to catch up with the rest of the world.
“The county lagged behind in education but the project will help improve the education standard of the area,” he said.
One of the beneficiary standard one pupil at Ortum Primary school Lewis Kibet said that he has never before seen a tablet hence will help him improve in his academics . “Am now able to write my name and it has become easy to learn,” she said. A standard one teacher at the school Irene Kochil said the tablets will help them work well
The CS was accompanied by the ICT CEO Mr Robert Mugo, West Pokot county commissioner Wilson Wanyanga, Prof Justus Murunga Wamukoya-faculty of information and computer and Prof Isaac Njuguna Melly.