Electricity and stores pledge in laptops plan

Some 10,184 schools will be connected to electricity when Standard One pupils start using laptops next year.

Another 8,147 schools that do not have electricity will get solar power, said head of Information Communication Technology at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology John Temba.

The electricity will be connected in collaboration with the Energy ministry and classes will be refurbished and stores built.

This will ensure that pupils in other classes can use the laptops when the young learners are on a break.

Mr Temba said that each child would get a laptop that would have a one year warranty and maintenance support.

WATER RESISTANT

They shall also provide two laptops, a projector and a printer for each school for use by teachers.

In order to minimise the risk of loss, they will be stored in schools. “These laptops have the ability to run multimedia digital content and can withstand rough handling by children, if dropped. They are also water and dust resistant and have a battery life of more than five hours,” he said.

Mr Temba was making a presentation on ICT integration in primary schools during the primary school headteachers’ conference at Sheikh Zayed Children’s Centre in Mombasa on Tuesday.

The content for learners will be pre-loaded in the machines, he said.

About 425,000 children will get the laptops, which will be delivered to some schools between November and December.

A training curriculum was launched by the Teachers Service Commission in August and 150 master trainers identified. Three thousand more are being sought.