Head teachers of public junior schools in Mombasa have been urged to protect and properly maintain newly installed digital learning equipment to ensure its long-term use.
The call follows the installation of interactive smart boards in 11 schools under the government’s Digital Literacy Programme, which seeks to equip learners with essential technology skills from an early age.
The nationwide initiative is being implemented by the ICT Authority through the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP).
It supports the government’s digital transformation agenda under the Digital Superhighway pillar of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
In Mvita subcounty, Mombasa, the schools that have received the equipment are St Augustine, Sparki, Mbaraki, Bahari, Sacred Heart, Bondeni, Tom Mboya, Star of the Sea, Majengo, Mombasa and Ganjoni junior schools.
Mvita subcounty director of education Ali Buthul said the technology had improved classroom instruction by enabling teachers to access online educational content and present lessons interactively.
He said learners had also started using the equipment, gaining practical computer skills and developing greater interest in ICT lessons.
“The initiative has helped in the teaching and learning of content, as teachers can access material from the internet and use it to teach learners. The learners have also accessed these gadgets and learnt how to use computers because the device functions much like a computer,” Buthul said.
He said the equipment had generated enthusiasm among learners, who were eager to attend ICT lessons and explore the new technology.
Buthul urged school administrators to keep the devices in secure locations and protect them from rain and the scorching coastal sun to prevent damage.
He said proper care would ensure the equipment continued to benefit current learners and future generations of pupils.
“It is an important initiative that the President is launching today and we welcome it. We expect this programme to be rolled out in all our junior schools across the republic,” he said.
The benefits of the programme were demonstrated during a digital classroom session at St Augustine Junior School, where a trained teacher conducted a live Grade 7 lesson using an interactive smart board.
ICT Authority staff and the teacher demonstrated features that allow users to recognise handwriting and shapes, annotate learning materials, display content wirelessly from the teacher’s device, open multiple windows and conduct video conferences using the board’s camera and microphones.
Parents and teachers who attended the session welcomed the technology, saying it offered learners new ways to engage with classroom content.
St Augustine Junior Secondary School head teacher Rhoda Katana said the institution had received the equipment last term and had since established a dedicated room where learners could access the smart board for lessons.
She said the room served as a learning laboratory, allowing pupils to interact with digital content and develop their technology skills.
“We are happy, in this 21st century, to integrate technology into learning in our school using this gadget. We are also happy that the school has been chosen to be in the national cluster in Mombasa county,” said Katana.
Katana said two teachers had undergone training in operating the equipment and were already incorporating it into classroom instruction.
The school has also developed a timetable to ensure learners have access to the digital learning facility.
The programme is expected to expose junior school learners to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, while strengthening digital literacy and encouraging innovation.
