Eight schools in Murang’a County have received a donation of computers and IT equipment from The Forum for African Women Educationalists: Kenya Chapter (FAWE Kenya) organisation in an effort to support digital learning.
While speaking during the handing over of the computers in Rurii Secondary School in Murang’a East Sub County on Wednesday, Murang’a Coordinator for FAWE Kenya under Imarisha msichana programme Pauline Masese said that the organisation has donated 24 computers and other IT equipment to the schools to enable students acquire digital skills and access information online.
“FAWE Kenya is donating three computers to each of the eight schools that have been identified to benefit from the programme,” said Masese, adding that “the computers will help learners acquire digital skills in support of the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)”.
Masese said that the Imarisha Msichana programme, in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, has one of its interventions in developing education and would donate the computers to enable students and teachers to access information online in a safe manner.
The schools to benefit from the donation are: Rurii Mixed Day, Kigumo Girls, Mananga and Kianderi Girls secondary schools; and Kihumbuini, Wangai, Kigumo Township Academy and Benedito Highway Complex primary schools.
“With the help of the county education department, the programme has identified eight schools where it will be running to enable the students acquire digital skills in support of CBC,” she said.
She said that earlier, the students, together with the teachers, had undergone training on digital skills and online safety while accessing information on the internet.
“The students were taught digital skills and now that they have been brought to computers, they can put that knowledge they have acquired to good use,” said Masese, adding that teachers were also trained on how to guide the students’ access information online in a safe manner.
Murang’a County Director of Education Anne Kiilu said that as a department, they recognise and appreciate the role of ICT integration in education, especially in implementation of competency-based curriculum (CBC).
“FAWE Kenya is one of our key partners in education and as a department, we are grateful that they have decided to donate computers to our schools,” said Kiilu, adding that the computers would enable students to acquire digital skills and access information online.
The director further said that for ICT integration to be realised, schools needed to have the right infrastructure installed, which includes computers, laptops and network connectivity.
“One of the policies of the Ministry of Education is to integrate ICT in the curriculum,” she said, adding “as the country is moving towards the digital era, learners should not be left behind”.
On her part, the principal of Rurii Mixed Day Secondary School, Anne Kinuthia, lauded FAWE Kenya for donating computers and other IT equipment and the Department of Education said they would enable the school to integrate ICT into their learning.
“The computers will go a long way in terms of implementing ICT learning in the school and will assist the students in learning digital skills and accessing information online,” said Kinuthia.
FAWE Kenya, together with its partners, supports girls and women in acquiring education for development at the county and national levels.
As part of a network spanning 34 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, the organisation implements programmes that aim to empower them through education and gender-responsive national policymaking.
By Anita Omwenga
