[kictanet] KCSE Performance

Thu Mar 4 13:34:54 EAT 2010

Mr. Sang,

I am glad to hear that the Ministry in collaboration with sector partners is
organizing a Regional Education Conference on E-learning, 29 – 31 March 2010
at KIEand that KIE's digitization of content is ongoing.

You stated the current focus is not starting Computer Studies in schools,
but empowering all teachers to use modern tools in curriculum delivery.
English, Geography, History, Mathematics .... teachers should use ICT to
make classes fun and educative for the learners. Learners should participate
in the creation of content, sharing and collaborating in the classroom
environment.

Though I agree with you in principal that we need to empower our teachers to
use these “modern” tools to enhance their curriculum delivery. ICTs have
been touted as potentially powerful enabling tools for educational change
and reform. I strongly urge you to consider the different technologies
vis-à-vis the different taxonomy levels in both primary and secondary
students. When used appropriately, different ICTs are said to help expand
access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the
increasingly digital workplace, and raise educational quality by, among
others, helping make teaching and learning into an engaging, active process
connected to real life.

I recognize that Kenya has made remarkable progress putting in place a policy
framework and implementation strategy for ICTs, being computers, the
internet and telephony, complete with measurable outcomes and time
frames (Vision
2030).

Yet, ICTs are more than just these technologies; older technologies such as
the telephone, radio and television, although now given less attention, have
a longer and richer history as instructional tools. Kudos to KIE for leaning
in this direction with their t-Learning initiative.

I want to challenge the MOE and KIE to address the issue of appropriate
pedagogical strategies vis-a-vis ICTs for Kenya. Though the push for ICT for
E is global, we MUST remember that each country’s contextual issues are
different. What works in developed countries will not work for Kenya “lock,
stock and barrel”. Nevertheless, we do not need to reinvent the wheel, as
aptly stated in a response to your post, “ imagine if we refused the mobile
phone, computer, the car and medical technology because we simply had to
create it ourselves, not caring that others had the technology ready for us
to use...where would (we) be?” .... not to mention reinvention is very
costly.... both in terms of time and money....
Food for thought, I think....

Seng

On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Fatma Bashir <fatma.bashir at gmail.com>wrote:

> Mr Sang,
>
> Thanks for the detailed reply to Ediths queries. Apart from the girl child,
> I noted with concern that the performance of the sciences and Mathematics is
> hurting more than that of the humanities and languages. This is not news.
> Its our annual cry as an education body every march.
>
> Shouldnt our efforts at KIE be to develop content that will assist the
> delivery of these subject areas as clearly this is where the challenge is?
> It has also been 3 years since the initiative started at KIE? why has it
> taken this long? and is it possible to  let us know ( offline) which schools
> have benfitted from the KIE content?
> As a player in this sector I am very interested to monitor the progress of
> digitzed content as a curriculum enrichment tool because we have been
> waiting in the sidelines since FEBRUARY 2008 for the MOE to release the
> report that the KIE provided them with on the evaluation of Digitzed content
> from the private sector that was to be used in the schools digitization
> program for the first 210 school nationwide. I am sure today we would have
> alteast been looking at a vast improvement in science and maths grades in
> over 200 schools.
>
> I think that the KIE initiative to digitze content for the schools is
> commendable but I hope it does fall prey to the challenges that KIE faced
> when it was responsible for publishing of text books? I thought we learnt
> our lesson then? futher more other countries seem to have realized that the
> teacher/student creation of content model is a failure and that outsourcing
> is the way to go. ( Uganda, Malaysia, India)
>
> Lastly, it is always important to try and do things ourselves after all how
> would we grow? but imagine if we refused the mobile phone, computer, the car
> and medical technology because we simply had to create it ourselves, not
> caring that others had the technology ready for us to use...where would be ?
>
>
>
> Fatma
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Barnabas K. Sang <bksang at education.go.ke>wrote:
>
>>  Edith,
>>
>>
>>
>> Digitization of Content is ongoing at KIE with Form 1 & 2 done for all
>> Subjects and work is ongoing for the other forms.
>>
>>
>>
>> Primary 4,5,6 & 7 have been digitized and work for other classes will soon
>> start.
>>
>>
>>
>> The Ministry in collaboration with sector partners is organizing a
>> Regional Education Conference on E-learning, 29 – 31 March 2010 at KIE,
>> where issues on ICT Integration and use of digitized content will be
>> discussed. MOE in the next year’s budget has also factored in resources for
>> availing the same to schools (particularly with ICT infrastructure). Current
>> focus is not starting Computer Studies in schools, but empowering all
>> teachers to use modern tools in curriculum delivery. English, Geography,
>> History, Mathematics .... teachers should use ICT to make classes fun and
>> educative for the learners. Learners should participate in the creation of
>> content, sharing and collaborating in the classroom environment.
>>
>>
>>
>> ICT Integration programmes are underway in some of the institutions in the
>> Ministry: CEMASTEA (focuses on INSET for teacher – not only science and
>> mathematics, but all other subject areas) and KESI (focusing on education
>> management and administration). KIE – digitization of content and setting of
>> standards for publishers and interested content developers for use in Kenyan
>> schools.
>>
>>
>>
>> Pertaining schools which got resources in support for ICT, the delays were
>> occassioned by some providers admitting lack of capacity to deliver and yet
>> they had been paid initial deposit. Legal process is underway to indemnify
>> schools of such acts. In some instance, schools also delayed in awarding
>> contracts, due to lack of capacity to interpret and use the new procurement
>> law (management of procurement process).
>>
>>
>>
>> Kind regards
>>
>>
>>
>> B. K. Sang
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* Edith Adera [mailto:eadera at idrc.or.ke]
>> *Sent:* 04 March 2010 09:32
>> *To:* Barnabas K. Sang
>>
>> *Cc:* alewela; ke users; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>> *Subject:* RE: KCSE Performance
>>
>>
>>
>> Mr Sang,
>>
>>
>>
>> It was VERY sad indeed to see the girl child perform so poorly! What
>> measures are being put in place to change this?
>>
>>
>>
>> When is digital curriculum, being developed by KIE going to be out and
>> made available to schools? Years of research has shown that they greatly
>> enhance teaching and learning - and promote self learning too. We have to
>> deal with other factors that lead to poor performance, but I think
>> multimedia curriuculum content needs to be availed to schools ASAP along
>> with computerization.
>>
>>
>>
>> What became of the computerization program you were running? Some schools
>> are still waiting for computers promised to them...many months and years
>> down the line!
>>
>>
>>
>> Edith
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  ------------------------------
>>
>> *From:* kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke[kictanet-bounces+eadera=
>> idrc.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Barnabas K. Sang [
>> bksang at education.go.ke]
>> *Sent:* 04 March 2010 09:26
>> *To:* Edith Adera
>> *Cc:* alewela; ke users; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] KCSE Performance
>>
>>    Thought would be of interest to you.
>>
>>
>>
>> Kind regards
>>
>>
>>
>> B. K. Sang
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> kictanet mailing list
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>>
>> This message was sent to: fatma.bashir at gmail.com
>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/fatma.bashir%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> kictanet mailing list
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
>
> This message was sent to: mincy.seng at gmail.com
> Unsubscribe or change your options at
> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mincy.seng%40gmail.com
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/attachments/20100304/5c9a4ca8/attachment.htm>