KICD Partners with STARTIMES to Enable Students Access online learning

The Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) has partnered with StarTimes Kenya, a digital television provider to help students in both primary and secondary levels in the country access interactive education content.
As the country battles with the Coronavirus pandemic, the Institute has been enhancing its coverage of the interactive radio and television lessons through various online platforms to students who are staying at home following the temporary closure of schools for containment of the virus.
KICD Council Chairperson, Dr. Sara Ruto welcomed the partnership engagement, acknowledging that the Institute has an enormous task that needs consolidated efforts to ensure that learning goes on and every child is benefiting from the process.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has pointed out a new feature of digital learning, we need to embrace it for the sake of our children and together we will be able to grow,” said Dr. Ruto.
She added, “One of the core competencies in the Competency-Based Curriculum is learning to learn, this is an opportune moment to put it to practice with such partners key in enriching the future of learning”.
Through the partnership, StarTimes Kenya will provide access to KICD approved curriculum on their digital television platform including mobile application StarTimes ON as well as other self-produced television channels to enable students to learn at home through the broadcaster’s platforms.
In his remarks, the StarTimes Chief Executive Officer Andy Wang, said the media station will undertake the digital learning through the EDU Channel which is available on its set-top boxes as a free-to-air channel and uploaded approved primary and secondary school curriculum education materials on StarTimes ON mobile application platform.
The KICD Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Joel Mabonga welcomed the move noting the partnership will grow the number of platforms available to engage students who are learning at home, as they can now access the content on a mobile application, which is a strategic option given the high mobile penetration in the country.
“We need to go out of our ways to make sure that learning continues even under the current Covid-19 situation as we establish strategic partnerships that will help us achieve the institutions’ mandate of developing curricula and curriculum support materials informed by research for all levels of education below the university,” said Dr. Mabonga.
The partnership will bridge the gap in ensuring that learners complement the radio and EDU TV education content with that which is now available on StarTimes ON mobile application that is available on Google Play or Apple App Store.
Currently, learners are following the interactive online lessons at home on KBC English Service and Radio Taifa for radio programmes and EDU TV channel and the Kenya Education Cloud for interactive lessons.
By Bernadette Khaduli