More than 300 teachers in Siaya are set to benefit from Artificial Intelligence skills training as part of the efforts to integrate technology in classrooms and boost the competence-based education.
Speaking during the launch of the training at Siaya national polytechnic, the Executive Director of the Dala Innovation hub, Wycliffe Otieno said the programme aims at equipping teachers with early AI skills as they directly shape young learners.
Otieno said the training will help bridge the digital literacy gap and help the teachers improve lesson planning, classroom delivery and coding instruction through several platforms such as “scratch”.
An official at Futures Initiative, Dolphin Ogutu said that AI should not be viewed as a tool that will replace teachers, adding that it is a supportive tool but not a threat.
“AI is here to assist teachers, not to replace them. It gives them more insights on lesson planning and makes classrooms more interactive,” she said.
Futures Infinite lead facilitator, Malik Logonze said that the initiative is part of a broader rollout across Western and Nyanza regions, confirming that the program will expand in phases.
Siaya County’s Projects Coordinator at the Ministry of Education Albert Aluso hailed the training as a timely intervention for Siaya’s schools saying that the program would help teachers become ambassadors of AI integration in classrooms. He noted that the Ministry is exploring additional avenues, including ICT-focused programs, to ensure teachers are fully capacity-built in AI.
A participant, Seline Atieno Owino, from Nyandiwa Primary School hailed the training, saying it had transformed her approach to lesson preparation.
She said that AI should not scare teachers adding that it is a supportive tool that saves time and enhances teaching.
By Philip Onyango
