Listers,

Our 2006 national ICT policy is silent on open source software (OSS). As we think of a review of this policy, which according to me is due due to a number of issues (Vision 2030, BPO, and many other developments), we should think seriously about a section on OSS policy.

tim mwololo

On 6/29/09, Evans Ikua <ikua@lpakenya.org> wrote:

There is also Camara Kenya (the local office of camara.ie) that has done tremendous work in the area of putting hardware in schools, both Primary and Secondary, installing open source software, supporting them, and training the teachers. This in a short period of time.

Their work has mainly been in the coast region but they are also getting into the hinterland. They have about 150 volunteers from Ireland who have just come in and they will conduct trainings for about a month.

They have equipped schools in the whole of Lamu island, and many schools at the coast.

They are achieving much more by using FOSS as a computer installed with Linux gives much more to a student as opposed to one installed with Windows. Because they are not spending a penny on software licenses, they are able to supply like twice the number of PCs than if they were to have the schools buy licenses.

Ikua

--
Evans Ikua
Linux Professional Association of Kenya
Tel: +254-20-2250381, Cell: +254-722 955 831
Eagle House, 2nd Floor
Kimathi Street, Opp. Corner House
www.lpakenya.org

Quoting Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com>:

forwarded--- On Thu, 6/25/09, Emmanuel Khisa <emmanuel.khisa@kadet.co.ke> wrote:

From: Emmanuel Khisa <emmanuel.khisa@kadet.co.ke>
Subject: RE: [kictanet] One subject,varying quality - We lack an accreditation system for ICT courses
To: "'Walubengo J'" <jwalu@yahoo.com>
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 10:11 AM

And Project Discovery Kenya has been able to train more that 200 primary
school teachers over the last five years in conjunction with Institute of
Software technologies...I also know that similar training went on in Yala
Division last April for Primary school teachers in the division organised by
the Computers for Schools.
On the subject of lack of adequate professors, I will leave that to
Academicians and those keen on interrogating academics, I however would like
the ICT training to move from over concentration with the academics and more
to the more handson...more like incubator based learning approach...While
the Far East economies have good universities, they still put more premium
on handson skills...It is sad that even our graduate engineers let alone IT
graduates (who by the way take a lot of flack) cannot invent or think
outside the box...I mean no invention ever comes out of these highly
restricted courses yet only a select few universities dare to venture
into...

The answer in my opinion lies in building skills that are more practical and
focussed on creating entrepreneural opportunities.

Rgds,

Manu

"New opinions are always suspected and usually opposed, without any other
reason but because they are not already common."
P Before printing, think about the Environment and your responsibilities
-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet-bounces+emmanuel.khisa=kadet.co.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+emmanuel.khisa=kadet.co.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
Behalf Of Walubengo J
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 8:41 AM
To: emmanuel.khisa@kadet.co.ke
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] One subject,varying quality - We lack an
accreditation system for ICT courses

I agree that something is happening within the High-School teaching
fraternity. Last April, Multimedia University College trained 80 high school
headteachers from Samburu and I think Transmara Districts, giving them basic
ICT skills...am aware Strathmore University, IAT etc also do such trainings
regularly...It may not be enough, but its definitely a good kick in the
right direction.

As for the University Level IT faculty staff. Unfortunately the statistics
are likely to be true. You can count the number of IT Professors in this
country on your three fingers ;-)

walu.

--- On Wed, 6/24/09, Barnabas K. Sang <bksang@education.go.ke> wrote:

From: Barnabas K. Sang <bksang@education.go.ke>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] One subject, varying quality - We lack an
accreditation system for ICT courses

To: jwalu@yahoo.com
Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 11:32 PM

Betty,

Thanks for your response on the article
mentioned below. Will go
through it and perhaps respond on key issues raised, which
ICT in Education has
already done or planned. I hope it will minimize fears all
of us have or may be
persuaded to think all is totally misplaced and lost.

?ICT Integration? is currently Ministry
of Education focus, and
steps already put in place are expected to make Kenya
improve both teaching and
learning environment, with better education ?products?
across all levels.

Kind regards

B. K. Sang

From:
kictanet-bounces+bksang=education.go.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+bksang=education.go.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke]
On
Behalf Of Betty Ogange

Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 4:31 PM

To: Barnabas K. Sang

Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions

Subject: Re: [kictanet] One subject, varying quality
- We lack an
accreditation system for ICT courses


   Hallo David,
   Last week there was furore in this forum
about media
   misrepresentation of the Kenyan situation. The article
that you make
   reference to in today?s Standard (24.06.09) may be
accurate in the areas that
   you have highlighted. However, I wish to take issue with
a few points raised
   in the article.
http://www.eastandard.net/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144017693&cid=316

    ?Unlike other academic fields, very
little has been done
   to train most teachers in ICT skills. Currently, no
primary teacher training
   college offers comprehensive pre-service training in
information technology.?

   Anyone with a modest interest in education in
Kenya would not
   miss something as obvious as a subject in the national
curriculum when reporting
   in a national daily. Prior to the year 2004, a few
colleges had ICT skills
   courses for pre-service teachers based on in-house
curricula that were
   independently developed by each college. The Primary
Teacher Education (PTE)
   ICT curriculum developed by the Kenya Institute of
Education has been in
   force since the year 2004 and ICT is taught as a
compulsory subject in all
   primary teacher training colleges. It is examined
internally at the end of
   the first year and all students must pass in the subject,
among other
   subjects, in order to proceed to second year. There are
several
   implementation hitches in this programme arising from the
fact that ICT is
   being taught as a discrete subject in the curriculum and
has yet to be
   mainstreamed in the other subjects in the PTE curriculum.
The debate around
   ICT- pedagogy integration in education and how to
operationalise it right
   from curriculum development to classroom level
implementation continues in
   the education circles.

    ?In-service training is often
provided by trainers who
   are just barely literate in
computers?

   In my knowledge, this has happened especially
in instances when
   some hardware providers ?dangle? teacher training as
an additional offer to
   the institution. TTCs used to hire ICT technicians to
teach the course, but
   in the last 2 years, the Teacher Service Commission has
posted trained
   lecturers of ICT to a number of TTCs. There have also
been some highly
   professional training offered to college lecturers by
Microsoft (in
   conjunction with the Institute of Advanced Technology -
IAT) and the Kenya
   Technical Teachers College. Computers for Schools Kenya
and the Nepad
   e-schools teacher training programmes have also reached
teachers in selected
   secondary schools. Lack of co-ordination (as with the
rest of the ICT
   initiatives in Kenya ), lack of clear training targets
and time-lines have
   compromised continuity and impact of some of these
training programmes.

   ?The
entire ICT education is in tatters?
   An interesting analogy there. But I see a
sector that is struggling
   with what some scholars in educational reform have called
an ?implementation
   dip? ? that for a number of reasons things normally
tend to get worse before
   they can get better. There are lots of difficulties in
implementing large
   scale ICT initiatives in the education sector world over.
In our country,
   there have been positive efforts by the Ministry of
Education, the KIE and a
   number of stakeholders in education, and these do count.
On the other hand,
   there has been the tendency (by education leaders)
towards elaborate policy
   documents, ?ICT networks? and trust funds whose
mandates remain
   indeterminate. All these need to be researched and
accurately presented.

   Accurate reporting by the media and objective
analysis of both
   the positives and difficulties are important in helping
the public target
   their attention and effort. Besides the inaccuracies, the
use of expressions
   such as ?in tatters? ?the situation is bad?,
?alarmed professionals?
   ?obsolete hardware? to describe ICT in education in
Kenya sounds to me fairly
   sensational.

   Betty





   --- On Wed, 6/24/09, David Otwoma
<otwomad@gmail.com>
   wrote:


   From: David Otwoma <otwomad@gmail.com>

   Subject: [kictanet] One subject, varying quality - We
lack an accreditation
   system for ICT courses

   To: ogange@yahoo.com

   Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"
   <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>

   Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 9:32 AM


   .....universities
   offer many degrees but their quality and market demand
differ......





   Although
   nearly all universities offer degrees, only the
University of Nairobi, Jomo
   Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and
Strathmore have
   Master?s programmes and only UON and Jkuat teach at
doctoral level.


   There
   is a diminishing number of staff with PhDs in ICT
departments. According to
   Prof Rodrigues, UoN has the highest number of full-time
lecturers with PhDs
   in ICT that stands at eight of 18, while Jkuat has three
of six, which is the
   same number for Strathmore.


   Kenyatta
   University has nine full-time but none of them have a PhD
or an equivalent
   qualification, while none of the Kabarak?s eight
lecturers have a PhD. Two of
   six of United States International University has
doctoral degrees.


   Many
   lecturers have no experience as ICT professionals as
engineers, software
   developers or in the emerging area of computer and
network security.





   See
http://www.eastandard.net/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144017693&cid=316&

   for full story




   --

   David Otwoma,

   Chief Science Secretary,

   National Council for Science and Technology,

   Utalii House 9th Floor,

   Mobile tel: +254 722 141771,

   Office tel: +254 (0)20 2346915,

   P. O. Box 5687 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya

   email: otwomad@gmail.com & otwoma@ncst.go.ke

   www.ncst.go.ke



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