President William Ruto US has secured Sh3.2 billion that will help boost the Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP).
The amount will provided by USAID which is implementing KPLP closely with the Ministry of Education.
KPLP programs are delivered in English and Kiswahili to all public primary schools and select private schools.
The program aims to expand innovations to address the literacy needs of grade 1-3 learners while building more inclusive, accountable, and resilient education institutions and systems.
Additionally, the Governments of Kenya and the United States, in collaboration with Microsoft, Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth, Howard University, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse College announced the establishment of EDTECH Africa.
The initiative serves as an emerging technology bridge between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and African scholar.
It is aimed at cultivating educational exchanges in the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technology.
"This initiative expands Mastercard’s existing investment of $6.5 million for the Atlanta University Center Consortium Data Science Initiative and $5 million for Howard University’s Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics, actively involving African scholars with HBCU students and faculty in the journey toward greater proficiency as data scientists," the White House read.
Microsoft will further invest an additional $500,000 to support HBCU and Kenyan students engaged in research at the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI) in Nairobi, Kenya.
This complements its recent contribution of $350,000 to the Atlanta University Center Consortium Data Science Initiative to establish a network of data science faculty across HBCUs.
"USAID intends to invest $850,000 to facilitate this partnership between HBCUs and Kenyan universities," the White House said.
Other programs to be supported include an exchange program for sixty Kenyan undergraduate students to study for a semester in the United States, with a focus on STEM to support the development and success of the next generation of Kenyan scientists, researchers, and engineers.
“As the United States and Kenya celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations, and recall the positive and enduring impact of the Kennedy-era student airlift, the newly announced Kennedy-Mboya Partnerships support a new scholarship program that promotes intellectual, academic, and innovative exchange,” the brief reads.
