The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Authority is this week hosting 65 officers drawn from 15 government agencies and partners to develop the Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) Master Plan to guide the implementation of the Programme going forward.
ICT Authority CEO Dr. Katherine Getao said that the Digital Literacy Programme is on course and so far over 1.2 million devices have been installed in 21,638 public primary schools countrywide in line with Vision 2030.
“The first phase of the project has been completed. A total of 331,000 teachers have been trained and content access, on a continuous basis, is being provided to public primary schools through the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD),” she said.
Dr. Getao said that, so far Ksh 31 billion have been injected into phase one project being cost for the digital devices while a further Ksh 64 billion is earmarked for devices for phase two of the project. The CEO noted that education is a capital intensive.
She said that the DLP was critical in terms of delivering the 21st century skills to children to get information, learn how to use devices and read in a different subject area.
The Digital Literacy Programme is borne out of the Government of Kenya’s vision to make sure every pupil is prepared for today’s digital world, and to transform learning in Kenya into a 21st century education system.
This Digital Economy emphasizes on digital skills and promotes the vision of a digitally empowered citizenry and living in a digitally enabled society.
Under the Programme, the ICT Authority is supporting government efforts to integrate ICT into teaching and learning in Kenya. The programme aims to support the new Competency Based Curriculum (CBC).
The CBC include critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and innovation aimed at preparing learners to competitively participate in a knowledge-based economy.
The Programme is being implemented through a multi-agency approach where all the key implementing agencies have come together to facilitate the implementation.
The agencies are Ministry of Education, Ministry of ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Industrialization, The National Treasury, Teachers Service Commission (TSC), Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), Kenya Primary Schools Head Association, Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation, Kenya Power and the Kenya Institute of Special Education as well KNUT.
Other agencies represented in the workshop are the Communications Authority and the Kenya society for the Blind.
The ICT Authority is the lead agency in the implementation for DLP and has installed over 1.2 million for teaching and learning devices in public primary schools across the country.
The programme aims to integrate ICT in teaching and learning into Kenya’s education system.
