Govt rolls out Digital Literacy Programme

The government is this week continuing with the distribution of over 11,000 devices to 150 public primary schools as the pilot for the Digital Literacy Programme kicks off.

The distribution began on 4th April, 2016 with an initial delivery to four primary schools and is earmarked to end on 14th May.

The devices will be used for teaching and learning by pupils in primary schools across the country. The 150 schools earmarked under Proof of Concept (POC) phase, has the two  bidders, (Moi University and JP Couto and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Positivo BGH) demonstrate their capability to distribute and install the devices to all public primary schools in the country come July, 2016.

The successes and challenges during the POC phase will inform the full roll-out of the Digital Literacy Programme, which has been branded Digischool.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Dr. Fred Matiangi said the exercise was a major milestone towards preparing young Kenyans to be competitive globally. He added that the pilot will pave the way to the full implementation of the programme come July.

“In July this year, we will start the delivery of devices to 11 000 schools as we start the rollout of the programme in earnest. By March next year, we expect to have covered all 23,952 public primary schools. A total of 1.2 million devices will be delivered to public primary schools across the country by next year,” he said.

Dr Matiangi spoke Thursday when he inspected the handing over of 104 devices to Musa Gitau Primary School in Kiambu County and 115 devices to Ndurarua Primary School in Nairobi County.