Ol-Moran ward teachers learn ICT in anticipation of tablet

By Murigi Ndung’u

Primary school teachers, senior teachers and head-teachers drawn from Ol-Moran Ward, Laikipia West Sub County attended a one week Information and Communication Technology (ICT) workshop on May 18-22, 2015 at Lariak Primary School and Lariak Secondary school in preparation of ICT integration in primary schools. The workshop was organized by the ministry of education in conjunction with the county government of laikipia.

The workshop was attended by pedagogues from far and wide all the way from Magadi to Rumuruti and gathered into a common workshop dictated by their station situation. Participants from Ol-Moran area attended training at Lariak Primary School while those from Sipili area attended training at Lariak Secondary School.

Some of the participants during the Workshop

According to the facilitators, computer illiteracy is at shocking levels even among the teachers and wiping it will be equally tough but worth trying since the nation is gearing towards national digitization. This is the reason the government undertook the process to reach out the marginalized groups.

The one week workshop enabled the teachers to learn basic computer skills that included: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint. The three packages are intended to help them in their daily work like in report writing, information sorting, dissemination and analysis.

“It is good that the government decided to change from laptops to tablets. We do not have power in our school and so we would have been disadvantaged but with tablets it will at least be manageable. Currently due to lack of power our learning is outdated to the point that pupils would fear change,” said Mr. Ndirangu from Magadi Primary School, a much marginalized school in one of the portions of Laikipia County.

The tablets are expected in July this year, the integration of this into the school functioning will help do away with the tedious paper work and maximize on the performance.

The government abandoned laptops for tablets after a tender raw that saw the issue taken to court. The government has now factored into the 2015-2016 financial year budget the supply of the tablets at a cost of Kshs. 17 billion which is lower than the initial Kshs. 24 billion budget that had been earmarked for the laptops.