Teachers win national contest on e-learning

Winners of the Remote Learning Competition, Fred Machel Bongu and Nasra Athman t Coast Girls Secondary School in Mombasa, on Sunday. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

Even as Covid-19 pandemic ravages education some teachers remain determined to make a difference.

In Mombasa, a teacher from a public day secondary school has scooped top prize in the National Science Remote Learning competition.

Nasra Athman, a Maths and Physics teacher at Changamwe Secondary, beat 6,506 teachers, some from national schools, to emerge the most innovative tutor in e-learning.

Athman emerged winner, nationally, for coming up with the most innovative online ways to teach Chemistry and Mathematics in her school. Fred Bongu, 2018 second runner-up in ICT Teacher of the Year Award (iTOYA), was declared the best county trainer nationally on remote teaching.

Bongu is the Chemistry teacher at Coast Girls Secondary school, also a public institution.

The competition was organised by Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) and e-Kitabu and monitored relevant State education agencies using Google Classroom.

“Athman beat 6,506 teachers including those from national schools while Bongu won against 517,” said Teachers Service Commission County Director Dr Samuel Marigat.

The teachers were assessed whether they could create suitable online content in an e-learning management system, if they have a suitable lesson plan and how they engage the learners.

The assessment was completed on October 31, and the winners were scheduled to be awarded yesterday at CEMASTEA offices in Nairobi. Yesterday Athman, a former student at Sheikh Khalifa, said she hoped her win will encourage girls to complete their studies.

“I hope this will inspire girls in the region. They should know that we can do better and compete at the top,” she said.

Bongu said he engages over 100 learners in remote learning and that a teacher has to be innovative. “The question has been what good can come out of the education sector during this Covid-19 pandemic. Remote or e-learning it is,” he said.

According to CEMASTEA Director Jacinta Akatsa, the best three projects nationally will be awarded Sh100,000 and a certificate.