[kictanet] the budget and ICT
Fatma Bashir
fatma.bashir at gmail.com
Sun Jun 13 13:51:10 EAT 2010
Good observations Andrea et al,
We were part of the intel project and one of the things that gave it
longevity is the digitized content for the sciences & maths that
cyberschool provided.
Today if you go to the kamiti secondary school, the intel project
school, what is sustaining the whole dream is the laptop, the
smartboard and the digitized content.
I guess what this points to is the need for coherent planning for the
300 comps to ensure that a full package that enables better curriculum
delivery through ICT's is implemented.
Fortunately the MOE implemented a similar project in 2008-9 and there
are some real lessons to share.
Fatma
Sent from my iPhone
On Jun 11, 2010, at 2:54 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com
> wrote:
> I wrote an article a few years back about Intel's Classmate, that
> mini note book thingie that was launched as a rival to the OLPC.
> Whatever you think about Intel, at the time they made a really
> important point: They argued that if they just give away a bunch of
> laptops, in all likelihood nothing much would happen: the laptops
> would have no power, get stolen, people would surf for all sorts of
> nonsense, etc.
>
> So in their pilot initiatives, they made sure that the schools had
> connectivity, that there had been teacher training to show teachers
> how to hold classes with and through the notebooks, that there were
> teaching materials etc.
>
> Sensible approach, I thought.
>
> On 11 June 2010 14:49, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> Well put Andrea and as someone put it there is a difference between
> having computers in schools and using computers in schools. Clearly we
> have got some thinking to do, i hope our good friends in government
> can see the salient issues being raised
>
> On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt
> <andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com> wrote:
> > Good points, Barrack.
> >
> > I have wondered along the same lines:
> >
> > Just throwing computers out there makes little sense. I suspect
> that unless
> > the use of computers is integrated into some sort of teaching or
> training
> > effort, then rural people, like everyone else, will use them to
> surf the web
> > for online dating, Facebook, music, smut and so on (I'd love to
> see stats
> > from the Pasha centres which websites people actually visit).
> That's all
> > cool, except I don't think it needs to be covered by taxpayers.
> >
> > It'd be great to have computer training etc in schools. But then
> wouldn't it
> > be more sensible to include this in schools' overall budget and
> leave the
> > administration up to them? Obviously there are a whole bunch of
> issues with
> > school as we can see from the FPE money that went safari, but if
> schools
> > can't manage those funds, they won't be able to manage computers
> either.
> >
> > Happy footie/furahi day,
> > Andrea
> >
> > On 11 June 2010 14:38, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Interesting discussion going on , i am abit pessimistic though
> about
> >> the success of this new initiative, my greatest concern is
> whether the
> >> move is well informed or that there is a potential of it turning
> into
> >> a White elephant of sorts. We have had many initiatives aimed at
> >> ensuring ICT tools are available and accessible to all, however
> there
> >> has been very little feedback or research on how this initiatives
> have
> >> faired on or their real impact on the community.
> >> That said i am asking myself whether it is better to teach a man
> how
> >> to fish or whether we should keep buying fish for them. To
> elaborate
> >> if we focus on capacity building we will enable the people to see
> the
> >> need for buying computers whether refurbished or not, when they buy
> >> the computers they will expect to get value for money (aka roi)
> and as
> >> such we are likely to see more innovative communities proping up
> from
> >> all corners of the country, it is for this reason that i feel this
> >> move is ill advised and something needs to be done before the money
> >> goes down the drain, computers are not an end in themselves they
> are
> >> just a means to an end, the notion that they are an end must be
> done
> >> away with.
> >> Well i suppose it is time the communication commision or any other
> >> relevant body conducted a study on the impact of previous
> initiatives
> >> similar to the one being implemented i suppose it is our right as
> >> citizens of this great republic to be informed. I fully support the
> >> other issues raised by fellow listers, i would also like to know
> where
> >> we are with the e-mado project and where it fits in this
> arrangement.
> >> I would like to hear from stakeholders their take on this matter
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 11:36 AM, Ngũgĩ Kĩmani
> <ngugi at mafundi.co.ke>
> >> wrote:
> >> > Back in March 2010, the Kenyan government had announced a
> proposed ban
> >> > on
> >> > second-hand computers, aimed at avoiding dumping and reducing
> electronic
> >> > waste in the country.
> >> >
> >> > Well I've not heard that the ban is being enforced, or lifted,
> but I am
> >> > a
> >> > buyer of second hand branded computers and I have established
> that they
> >> > are
> >> > indeed more stable and reliable than "new" assembled klones.
> >> >
> >> > I would advocate that the sale of second hand Dells and HPs and
> Compaqs
> >> > etc
> >> > be allowed to continue, in fact be encouraged over assembly of
> klones,
> >> > because some of those computers have a minimum of 256 MB RAM +
> >> > 2.something
> >> > processors and this is clearly adequate to run most open source
> >> > applications. What does a new user of computers need anyway -
> just OS
> >> > proficiency + word processing + spreadsheet. They can then move
> to
> >> > faster
> >> > computers as their proficiency increases.
> >> >
> >> > :)
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > Ngũgĩ Kĩmani
> >> > Fundi wa Mitambo
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On 11 June 2010 11:58, Josiah Mugambi <jmugambi at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> It is safe I suppose to assume that not all targeted schools
> have a
> >> >> reliable (if any) source of electricity. Is there a plan for
> this?
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> --
> >> >> Josiah Mugambi
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> On Fri, Jun 11, 2010 at 11:35 AM, Vitalis Olunga <volunga at yahoo.com
> >
> >> >> wrote:
> >> >>>
> >> >>> The plan (purchasing of) for computers for schools, if
> implemented,
> >> >>> seems
> >> >>> more sustainable than the last year's budget for mobile ICT
> buses for
> >> >>> constituencies. What the constituency leaders should now work
> for is
> >> >>> to
> >> >>> ensure the allocation of resources from the CDF to build
> computer labs
> >> >>> in
> >> >>> schools where they may be lacking. Many emerging schools may
> still be
> >> >>> lacking computer labs and science labs as of now. One such
> school
> >> >>> where I am
> >> >>> the chairman of BGO (Obambo, Siaya) is yet to have a computer
> lab in
> >> >>> place, and has no equipped science lab, but is it one of the
> best in
> >> >>> the
> >> >>> district (both in academic performance and sports).
> >> >>> Regards
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Vitalis
> >> >>>
> >> >>> ________________________________
> >> >>> From: "ikua at lpakenya.org" <ikua at lpakenya.org>
> >> >>> To: volunga at yahoo.com
> >> >>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> >
> >> >>> Sent: Fri, June 11, 2010 9:20:18 AM
> >> >>> Subject: [kictanet] the budget and ICT
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Listers,
> >> >>> The Government will spend 1.3B to buy 300 computers in each
> of the 210
> >> >>> constituencies. That means that each of the 63,000 computers
> will cost
> >> >>> the
> >> >>> taxpayer KSh 20,634/=. This is a very good initiative.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Now, they say that these computers will be assembled by
> institutions.
> >> >>> I
> >> >>> just hope this does not mean they will go for clones. They
> would do
> >> >>> much
> >> >>> better with branded, refurbished computers. As far as I know,
> the
> >> >>> minister
> >> >>> did not mention anything touching on used computers in the
> budget.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Now then, at this price, there is absolutely no allowance for
> software
> >> >>> purchases. Which is all well as these computers can be loaded
> with
> >> >>> open
> >> >>> source software that will give much more value to the
> investment
> >> >>> anyway. So
> >> >>> we will be watching keenly to see what kind of deals
> Microsoft will
> >> >>> try to
> >> >>> push at the government to include their software in these
> computers,
> >> >>> probably at a ¨small price¨.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> The open source community is available and willing to advise
> the
> >> >>> Government on the best way of ensuring that tax payer money
> is used
> >> >>> prudently for the benefit of this country.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Ikua
> >> >>> LPA-Kenya
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>> _______________________________________________
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> >> >>>
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> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _______________________________________________
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> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Barrack O. Otieno
> >> +41767892272
> >> Skype: barrack.otieno
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >> This message was sent to: andrea.bohnstedt at ratio-magazine.com
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> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Andrea Bohnstedt
> > Publisher
> > +254 720 960 322
> > www.ratio-magazine.com
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Barrack O. Otieno
> +41767892272
> Skype: barrack.otieno
>
>
>
> --
> Andrea Bohnstedt
> Publisher
> +254 720 960 322
> www.ratio-magazine.com
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> This message was sent to: fatma.bashir at gmail.com
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