Mr. Sang,
I am glad to hear that the Ministry in collaboration with sector partners is organizing a Regional Education Conference on E-learning, 29 – 31 March 2010 at KIEand that KIE's digitization of content is ongoing.
You stated the current focus is not starting Computer Studies in schools, but empowering all teachers to use modern tools in curriculum delivery. English, Geography, History, Mathematics .... teachers should use ICT to make classes fun and educative for the learners. Learners should participate in the creation of content, sharing and collaborating in the classroom environment.
Though I agree with you in principal that we need to empower our teachers to use these “modern” tools to enhance their curriculum delivery. ICTs have been touted as potentially powerful enabling tools for educational change and reform. I strongly urge you to consider the different technologies vis-ŕ-vis the different taxonomy levels in both primary and secondary students. When used appropriately, different ICTs are said to help expand access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace, and raise educational quality by, among others, helping make teaching and learning into an engaging, active process connected to real life.
I recognize that Kenya has made remarkable progress putting in place a policy framework and implementation strategy for ICTs, being computers, the internet and telephony, complete with measurable outcomes and time frames (Vision 2030).
Yet, ICTs are more than just these technologies; older technologies such as the telephone, radio and television, although now given less attention, have a longer and richer history as instructional tools. Kudos to KIE for leaning in this direction with their t-Learning initiative.
I want to
challenge the MOE and KIE to address the issue of appropriate pedagogical
strategies vis-a-vis ICTs for Kenya. Though the push for ICT for E is global, we MUST
remember that each country’s contextual issues are different. What works in
developed countries will not work for Kenya “lock, stock and barrel”. Nevertheless,
we do not need to reinvent the wheel, as aptly stated in a response to your
post, “ imagine if we refused the mobile phone, computer, the car and
medical technology because we simply had to create it ourselves, not caring
that others had the technology ready for us to use...where would (we) be?” .... not to mention reinvention is very costly.... both in terms of time and money....
Mr Sang,Thanks for the detailed reply to Ediths queries. Apart from the girl child, I noted with concern that the performance of the sciences and Mathematics is hurting more than that of the humanities and languages. This is not news. Its our annual cry as an education body every march.Shouldnt our efforts at KIE be to develop content that will assist the delivery of these subject areas as clearly this is where the challenge is? It has also been 3 years since the initiative started at KIE? why has it taken this long? and is it possible to let us know ( offline) which schools have benfitted from the KIE content?As a player in this sector I am very interested to monitor the progress of digitzed content as a curriculum enrichment tool because we have been waiting in the sidelines since FEBRUARY 2008 for the MOE to release the report that the KIE provided them with on the evaluation of Digitzed content from the private sector that was to be used in the schools digitization program for the first 210 school nationwide. I am sure today we would have alteast been looking at a vast improvement in science and maths grades in over 200 schools.I think that the KIE initiative to digitze content for the schools is commendable but I hope it does fall prey to the challenges that KIE faced when it was responsible for publishing of text books? I thought we learnt our lesson then? futher more other countries seem to have realized that the teacher/student creation of content model is a failure and that outsourcing is the way to go. ( Uganda, Malaysia, India)Lastly, it is always important to try and do things ourselves after all how would we grow? but imagine if we refused the mobile phone, computer, the car and medical technology because we simply had to create it ourselves, not caring that others had the technology ready for us to use...where would be ?Fatma
On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 11:21 AM, Barnabas K. Sang <bksang@education.go.ke> wrote:
Edith,
Digitization of Content is ongoing at KIE with Form 1 & 2 done for all Subjects and work is ongoing for the other forms.
Primary 4,5,6 & 7 have been digitized and work for other classes will soon start.
The Ministry in collaboration with sector partners is organizing a Regional Education Conference on E-learning, 29 – 31 March 2010 at KIE, where issues on ICT Integration and use of digitized content will be discussed. MOE in the next year’s budget has also factored in resources for availing the same to schools (particularly with ICT infrastructure). Current focus is not starting Computer Studies in schools, but empowering all teachers to use modern tools in curriculum delivery. English, Geography, History, Mathematics .... teachers should use ICT to make classes fun and educative for the learners. Learners should participate in the creation of content, sharing and collaborating in the classroom environment.
ICT Integration programmes are underway in some of the institutions in the Ministry: CEMASTEA (focuses on INSET for teacher – not only science and mathematics, but all other subject areas) and KESI (focusing on education management and administration). KIE – digitization of content and setting of standards for publishers and interested content developers for use in Kenyan schools.
Pertaining schools which got resources in support for ICT, the delays were occassioned by some providers admitting lack of capacity to deliver and yet they had been paid initial deposit. Legal process is underway to indemnify schools of such acts. In some instance, schools also delayed in awarding contracts, due to lack of capacity to interpret and use the new procurement law (management of procurement process).
Kind regards
B. K. Sang
From: Edith Adera [mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke]
Sent: 04 March 2010 09:32
To: Barnabas K. SangSubject: RE: KCSE Performance
Cc: alewela; ke users; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Mr Sang,
It was VERY sad indeed to see the girl child perform so poorly! What measures are being put in place to change this?
When is digital curriculum, being developed by KIE going to be out and made available to schools? Years of research has shown that they greatly enhance teaching and learning - and promote self learning too. We have to deal with other factors that lead to poor performance, but I think multimedia curriuculum content needs to be availed to schools ASAP along with computerization.
What became of the computerization program you were running? Some schools are still waiting for computers promised to them...many months and years down the line!
Edith
From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke [kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Barnabas K. Sang [bksang@education.go.ke]
Sent: 04 March 2010 09:26
To: Edith Adera
Cc: alewela; ke users; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] KCSE PerformanceThought would be of interest to you.
Kind regards
B. K. Sang
_______________________________________________This message was sent to: fatma.bashir@gmail.com
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