The government on Tuesday distributed free laptops and tablets in 12 schools across the country with over 11,500 standard one pupils receiving the devices during the first phase of the programme.
It was a day of excitement in twelve schools across the country with over 11,500 standard one pupils receiving free laptops and tablets during the first phase of the programme.
Among these schools was Waso Primary School in Isiolo County.The 98 pupils did not go for lunch for fear that other pupils would take ‘their gadgets’ during the lunch break.The learners chose to ignore hunger pangs as they acquainted themselves with the tablets.Waso Primary School’s headmaster,Mr.Abdullahi Rashid said the youngster’s reporting time to school had also improved considering that some pupils were regularly absent before.
Elsewhere in Mandera County,Mandera DEB Primary School received the tablets on Thursday.A eight-year old Halima Ali,who was among the 166 pupils who received the tablets in Mandera,appeared so unsettled on receiving the gadget that her class teacher had to comfort her,assuring her and the rest of the class that learning was going to be interesting and interactive.In one of the classes at the school, pupils who had previously used smart phones spent the better part of the lesson taking pictures of their colleagues with the tablets.
In Nakuru County, Sumeya Hussein took just a few moments with the gadget before she asked whether any game applications had been installed.
This was same question by a number of youngsters at St Mary’s Primary School.The school’s board of management and some parents had gathered to witness the delivery of the gadgets.Ms Damaris Ochieng, the school’s headteacher, said most pupils were inquiring whether they would go home with the gadgets.
In Kakamega County, Seventy-eight Standard One learners at Butere Primary School were mesmerised a lot.
In Turkana, 149 learners braved the scorching sun on Monday as they queued to receive the devices at St Monica Lodwar Girls Primary School.
In Mombasa County,three public schools received the government e-learning tablets.The schools are Sparki Primary School in Mvita which received 80 tablets learners learning devices,two laptops for teachers and one projector to be used during the computer lessons and a wifi device,Mwajibu Primary School in Changamwe which received 69 tablets and Kisauni Primary School in Kisauni Constituency which received 111 tablets together with laptops and projectors.
The Digital Literacy Programme was one of the Jubilee government’s promises given during the 2013 General Election.The Sh17 billion project will see Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Moi University provide the laptops, routers and servers to 150 selected schools in the country.