Learners To Get Phones And Airtime to Enhance Homeschooling

The Government is planning to distribute phones and free airtime to learners countrywide to enhance home-schooling as school calendars get disrupted by Covid-19.

In the new plans, the Government through the Ministry of Education’s emergency response team is planning to improve network connectivity and ensure all learners gain through the e-learning program.

The Education Ministry said it would partner with telecommunication companies and introduce toll-free call centers where all queries and feedback will be #channeled to.

“We shall also integrate information on preparedness and control of infectious diseases including Covid-19 in the curriculum,” said the ministry.

All stakeholders in the learning sector including teachers, parents, learners, and caregivers will be given digital books to support the new initiative. Poor and vulnerable households will also be considered and supplied with necessary leaning materials.

The initiative comes in handy to support the education sector which has been adversely affected by the Covid-19 crisis. It will also add to the ongoing TV and radio programs that were earlier initiated.

The crisis has revealed gaps within the education sector that need to be filled before another pandemic hits the country.

The sector had not instituted e-learning despite the Jubilee government promising that the program would take effect as soon as the second term regime begins.

Internet connectivity has also been a real challenge in the country with most areas experiencing slow network that is likely to affect the e-learning program.

The other challenge is illiteracy, which has been part and parcel of several households in Kenya. A survey in 2017 revealed that 2.7 million Kenyans had not received the formal education, while over 16 million of those who have gone to school, reached the primary level.

It is only the tertiary education level that has embraced the use of technology which has not been successful in some institutions due to various reasons.

However, the ministry said it is aware of these challenges and it has set aside adequate funds to deal with them and ensure the program is a success. Up to 1.5 billion shillings has been set aside to support the program.

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