• In the first year of its implementation, the project will cost Sh20 million
• For a start, 400 teachers will be equipped with digital skills
Image: AURA RUTH
Mombasa has begun an ambitious programme to have more than 6,800 learners in 85 primary schools trained in digital skills.
The Advancing Computing Literacy Project is funded by the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity organisation from the United Kingdom at Cambridge University, in conjunction with the county government. The implementing partner is Tech Kidz Africa.
Through the programme, the children will be taught about coding, animation, artificial intelligence, robotics machine learning, online safety and cyber security skills.
In the first year of its implementation, the project will cost more than Sh20 million.
For starters, more than 400 teachers will be equipped with digital skills. At least five teachers will be trained per school.
The project supports 90 per cent of public schools and 10 per cent of private schools in Mombasa.
Paul Akwabi, the founder of Tech Kidz Africa, said the teachers will be trained in groups of 50 as Trainers of Teachers (TOTs), and are then expected to train their other colleagues.
So far, Akwabi said, 22 teachers have already been trained. They will be part of the TOTs, who will train other teachers starting this Saturday.
The training of the teachers will be at Khadija Primary School, where a computer lab with 25 computers has already been installed.
"This project is not limiting teachers to only those who teach Science and Technology, but also those who teach mathematics, English, sciences and even agriculture,” he said.
Akwabi said the teachers will be trained on how to use their personal smartphones to teach the classes on how to code, which is much cheaper and will also save the schools a lot of resources.
“There is a scarcity of resources, but with the introduction of new technology, a teacher who has a smartphone is supposed to be able to use it to empower the learners,” he said.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said they are contributing to the project through the infrastructure needed to make it a huge success.
“We want to fulfil our promise to reposition education to empower our people. This project includes a new computing curriculum as well as handing over of computers to the schools,” he said.
Mombasa is the first county to embrace this programme.
“Mombasa county proudly leads Kenya and Africa in embracing the transformative change to equip students with the skills needed for the future,” he said.
Nassir said this generation is more digitally inclined compared to the older generation, so the children need to be exposed early to technology.
“There is no doubt that we truly need to evolve and align with the new trends across the world. I'm glad that Mombasa has taken leadership in digital transformation," he said.
He said his administration has taken leadership in ensuring that learners are more exposed, not on the negative side of the digital revolution but the positive one.
Education executive Mbwarali Kame said through technology, learners will be empowered to thrive in an increasingly competitive digital world.
He said the project will help learners to enhance their creativity levels, increase adaptability skills, improve their critical decision-making skills and introduce design thinking skills, problem-solving and interpretation through technology.
“As we prepare learners for the technological revolution, soon, we will have various technological innovations and advancements in our county,” he said.