Twenty public junior secondary schools in Nyandarua County have received interactive smartboards and teacher laptops under the government’s digital learning initiative aimed at promoting equal access to quality education through technology.
Speaking during the launch at Olkalou Comprehensive School in Olkalou town, Information and Communication Technology Authority (ICTA) Director of ICT Infrastructure Alex Njihia said the initiative would equip learners with essential digital skills from an early age.
Njihia said integrating emerging technologies into education was necessary to prepare learners for a rapidly changing world and ensure that no child was disadvantaged by limited access to digital resources.
“Education is an equaliser and no learner should be left behind; embracing new technologies is the best way to equalise education,” he said.
He noted that the Ministry of Information and Digital Economy, through ICTA, had connected more than 10,000 schools countrywide with digital learning technology and internet connectivity during the first phase of the programme.
In Nyandarua, Njihia said the authority was accelerating the distribution of smartboards and laptops to the remaining 153 public junior secondary schools, with the installations expected to be completed by the middle of next year.
He urged learners to embrace technology and remain committed to their studies, saying digital learning would provide additional opportunities to improve academic performance.
Njihia also encouraged schools to share the available equipment to maximise its use as the rollout continues. He assured school administrators that challenges arising from poor internet connectivity would be addressed within the next two weeks.
The director said improving connectivity alongside the provision of digital devices was essential to ensuring that learners could access educational resources and benefit fully from technology-supported lessons.
Nyandarua Central Subcounty Director of Education Mercy Kibera urged teachers and school administrators to safeguard and maintain the newly installed equipment to ensure its long-term use.
Kibera encouraged learners to use the technology responsibly and actively participate in digital lessons to improve their understanding of different subjects.
She also called on neighbouring schools to share the equipment where necessary as they await the installation of devices in all public junior secondary schools.
The launch brought together public junior secondary school heads, information and communication technology teachers and Grade Eight learners from Olkalou Comprehensive School.
by Kimani Tirus
