The Busia County Commissioner (CC), Jacob Narengo has appealed to head teachers to be vigilant and ensure that watchmen in their schools do not collude with outsiders to steal the digital learning gadgets.
Speaking to a team from Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development who visited his office on Friday, Narengo expressed concern that the success of the digital literacy programme risks being derailed by theft of the devices.
“Being a border County, there have been challenges of theft where products from one country end up in another,” he said.
He added that surveillance along the border points has been intensified to guarantee safety of the devices.
The official further stated that communities in either sides of the border who speak the same language have been accused of abetting the vice.
“This is a noble programme,” he said adding that the government initiated it out of conviction that technology has the power to improve learning.
The CC further appealed to ICT Authority to ensure the programme is well supported especially with
maintenance and training of teachers.
“We have succeeded, learners are very excited about the programme but we must invest in its sustainability,” he said.
The Busia County Director of Education, Thaddeus Awuor said that 419 out of 445 public primary schools in the county had benefited from 33,148 devices across the county.
Awuor added that teachers not only use the devices for teaching and learning but also preparation of official records hence reducing the costs of papers.
“Teachers are positive, they now appreciate that ICT integration in education is not only a policy issue but a global asset,” he said
The Busia County TSC Deputy Director, Yusuf Ali said that more teachers in the county will be trained to cope with the increasing enrollment as the devices attract more learners.
By Salome Alwanda