[kictanet] Laptops for 2014 class 1 entrants

Wed Apr 10 11:49:28 EAT 2013

Hey Walu et al,

I do not expect the President to have answers to your questions below. You
know the workings in government, what has been made is a high level policy
pronouncement now it will be unto the technocrats like yourself to craft a
working strategy and plan for this to work.

I expect that a team within the Ministry (may be include KIE and the ICT
Integration Unit) will be set up to work on the detail of how to deliver
this policy. And on your point "1", shouldn't we be targeting IT for
Eduction and not IT education? Why would yu need an IT curriculum for class
one? 

Kindest Regards

Harry Hare

Director  |  African eDevelopment Resource Centre
PO Box 49475 00100 | Nairobi, Kenya
Tel +254 20 4041646  |  Cel +254 725 650044

From:  Owino Jakakaeta <mpodhiambo at yahoo.com>
Reply-To:  Owino Jakakaeta <mpodhiambo at yahoo.com>
Date:  Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:24:38 -0700 (PDT)
To:  Cio_Magazine Hare <harry at africanedevelopment.org>
Cc:  KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Subject:  Re: [kictanet] Laptops for 2014 class 1 entrants

50 + 1 @ walu

Owino Jakakaeta
Life is too SHORT to eat Green BANANAS!

  From: Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com>
 To: "mpodhiambo at yahoo.com" <mpodhiambo at yahoo.com>
Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
 Sent: Tuesday, April 9, 2013 10:40 PM
 Subject: Re: [kictanet] Laptops for 2014 class 1 entrants

@Yawe,

I was on travel (not to SA :-) but caught up with our two new Principals.
Great speeches. But if there's someone already in the new Presidents kitchen
cabinet plse pass the following news.  Just drop the laptop business or at
least modify it because of the following reasons.

1. Curriculum.
Ok. So the kids have laptops next year. What to do with them? Play games,
watch porn? In other words do we have an IT curriculum for these youngsters
or we believe they will automatically become Bill Gates once we throw
gadgets at them.?

2. IT Teachers.
Assuming we cobble together some curriculum before next year. How soon can
we get out primary teachers upto speed on the same? Do we have a ToT program
in place. ToT= Training of Trainers for the non-academics.

3. Examinations.
It is known that Kenyans learn ONLY when it is examinable. Indeed teachers
make space in their timetables if they know the unit is examinable.
Otherwise you can as well do your IT lessons at home as your hobby since the
lesson will NOT be scheduled at the expense of say Mathematics which is
examinable. So is the KNEC ready with this exam?

4. Security/Theft.
If folks can still IEBC laptops from secure strongrooms, what about laptops
hanging either in staffrooms or  on standard 1 pupils?  What about a poor
parent who opts to trade in the laptop in favour of cash to use for other
purposes? This is not far fetched since even the largely successful Wezesha
Laptop initiative were University students got subsidized Laptops and quite
a number sold them off at market price.

5. Maintenance\Disposal program.
Usually laptops are rarely maintained. Just dump them after 3-4yrs. So we
need to think efficient disposal mechanism for 1million+ gadgets across
rural and urban Kenya. Worse still those Kids will now be in standard 4 and
so our buget for laptops will double -both for Sdt1s and the Std4s.

But I have a simple solution for our new digital President. Just traget
Form1s and perharps forget Laptops and adopt Networked
 PCs. The ecosytem described above is more mature to take on this great
idea. Our Primary schools will just drain this initiative with little
returns to the taxpayer.

walu.

------------------------------
On Wed, Apr 10, 2013 7:56 AM AST (Arabian) robert yawe wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I like the confirmation by the President - sworn and his deputy on the issue of
laptops for class 1 students from next year, it is commendable and quite easily
achievable but as ICT experts are laptops the ideal items or would low power
touchscreen tablets be more practical and appropriate?  However .com that the
two principles are I suspect that they might not be up to speed on devices.
>
>Here again for the umpteenth time the opportunity for us to become relevant
presents itself, shall we take action or sit back to carry out a forensic
analysis when only 80% of the students get the devices?
>
>Regards
>
>PS.  A new dispensation, a new dedication and new vigor
>
>
> 
>Robert Yawe
>KAY System Technologies Ltd
>Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>Kenya
>
>
>Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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