Learners to get phones, airtime for e-learning

The government is now mulling distribution of smart phones to all learners as part of immediate measures to boost home schooling under the coronavirus pandemic.

A draft Ministry of Education emergency response report seen by Saturday Standard also proposes provision of airtime for all learners.

Part of the initiative to enhance learning out of school includes mapping out access to Internet connectivity of learners and schools in Kenya.

The ministry report dubbed Kenya Basic Education Sector Covid-19 Emergency Response Plan dated April 19, says that the government will also partner with mobile phone companies for enhanced connectivity.

Regional toll free call centres will be established as part of feedback relay mechanism in the wider plan to boost learning.

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The initiatives will be rolled out during and even after the coronavirus pandemic that has now threatened to distort this year’s academic calendar.

According to the document, the ministry would support learners, teachers, caregivers and parents with digital books and also distribute learning material for poor, vulnerable and marginalised households.

The government will equip select community centres in informal settlements with technology to deliver digital education.

“We shall also integrate information on preparedness and control of infectious diseases including Covid-19 in the curriculum,” reads the report.

The ministry has already stepped up measures to facilitate learning during the period where learners access curriculum delivery through radio, TV, Kenya Education Cloud and You-Tube.

The platforms provide learners with out-of-classroom learning experiences and are aligned to the school calendar.

To support this initiative, the ministry plans to revamp Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) through enhanced equipment and capacity building. It proposes provision of radios and TVs to all schools and also providing resources such as textbooks, study guides and equipment to learners from poor, marginalised and vulnerable households.

The report says the ministry identified these areas of emergency response and the accompanying proposed interventions in line with the Medium Term Plans, the National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2018-2022 and other policy and legal requirements.

Overall, the tentative budget for the emergency response during and after the pandemic is estimated to cost Sh15 million. Some Sh1.5 billion would go towards up-scaling educational media to minimise learning interruption during emergency and crisis.

The money would also enhance production of learning continuity programmes broadcast through radio, TV, and Kenya education Cloud.

Some Sh50 million would go to conducting sample assessments at different grade levels to track progress in key areas like early grade literacy and numeracy and key subjects at secondary.

“This is essential to know who is being reached and how well students are learning so that interventions can be adapted accordingly,” read the report.

Maintenance of schools used for other purposes during the pandemic may cost some Sh200,000 million.

Other notable budgetary requirements are safety and well-being of children and teachers, support for officials and teachers, interventions for vulnerable, survey on Covid-19 effects, real time data tracking and school health interventions.

The ministry proposes the need to build the resilience of broadcasting of education content, to continue providing e-learning platforms during and after the crisis.

To achieve this, the ministry says that accessible radio and TV live broadcasts will be provided on a timely and predictable manner for continued learning.