It's not because I am not an IT expert, it’s for the simple reason that I am realistic.
In our beloved nation, Your Excellency, we have more pressing issues that the life threatening
Need for laptops.
The ideas are noble in both concept and intent, but basically, it’s just a want and not a need.
I share your enthusiasm for a tech savvy nation but unfortunately I must beg to differ when it comes to the mode of execution.
I concur that you are a very busy man; that is why when you are travelling from statehouse to any destination all traffic as to be cleared off the roads, thirty minutes before you agree with the deputy president on whether you should wear matching suits or not. In essence, this simple act to ascertain your comfort ends up costing the nation a lot of money in the form of the subsequent traffic jam.
Anyway, I am sorry for digressing. I would like to point out a few issues that I feel really matter.
We have a very big problem, lack of classrooms. As you may have heard, I know you are very busy to watch news; the free basic education problem is grappling with a biting need for classrooms. In some parts of this nation, pupils attend lessons under trees. You and I know that is not an ideal situation unless they are studying nature, or the importance of trees in providing shade. Dear Mr. President, unless you are thinking of encouraging online learning from the comfort of the pupils homes, please before delivering laptops to schools, build classrooms.
My digital president, I would like to bring to your attention that our primary schools have insufficient desks. You may not feel the folly of squeezing four or five tiny primary school pupils on a desk suitable for two pupils. This is not a major problem because our culture encourages sharing. Even our 14 seater vans can magically accommodate 22 passengers. So I know as per our policy makers its healthy for pupils to share desks and eventually assist each other during exams…masomo ni harambee boss
Educational standards encourage a ratio of 40 pupils per teacher. The people who mooted this policy a damn daft, insane and have no idea of how hard hit in the department of professionals. No matter how we try, in our nation, we can never get sufficient number of high skilled professionals. If you doubt me, remember a certain government minister suggesting importing nurses from china. I hope alijua vitu za china hazikai and many of them are imitations, like nokla, eyephone, samsang, soni,. And perhaps na-arses, dokt-arse, teach-arse. Dear Mr. President, I know it’s a time tested and proven practice in Kenya to have atlest 80 – 100 pupils per teacher. After all, the weather is unforgivingly cold this days and we need to maintain human contact for warmth. Same can e argued upon based on the number of April/May babies.
For a person who claims to understand how busy you are, I really need to get hold of myself and get to the pertinent issues. I cannot give you the satisfaction, after all poly-trickians survive on words.
Who owns the laptops? As per my understanding, every standard one pupil would be given a laptop befitting their stature. In my opinion, this should be a Chinese toy laptop. The moment you roll out the programme, who is the owner of the laptop? The school,the pupil,the government. In my time, many of our parents -I know you don’t know that, consult hustler DP- could not afford text books. We where a bit lucky though because some of our secondary schools could purchase about 10-15 text books per 50 students. A no mean feat. At the end of the year, we had to return the books to the store so that our juniors could use them too. My question is, will the standard one pupils keep the laptops upto standard 7/8. Will the laptops be relevant in 2022 when the pupil is in standard 8? Are we saying that the curriculum content will remain largely the same for the next 8 years?
While at it, kindly clarify where the laptops will be kept (laptop storage and security). Do we have strong rooms in school or the pupils will have to take them home. By the way I suggest that every pupil should carry the laptop home because our security system is among the best in the world. No one can steal a laptop for a pupil. The pupils are so responsible such that they can’t detour on their way home and start playing a game of hide and seek. A brilliant one, I hope the laptops come equipped with guardian app to walk the pupils home daily.
Support staff. Being a digital president, you must know that laptops, cars, cups,plates and sometimes spoons break. Who is going to repair the laptops? Do we have sufficient support staff? If so we will pay for the routie maintenance and service? He government? The underfunded schools or the poverty stricken parents? Every well-meaning parent can save about 1000ksh shillings from their 100ksh daily budget to fund repair of laptops. Who can’t do that?
Power! Are this laptops solar powered,? Do they require electricity? Could they be running on steam, firewood or dry cells from china? If they are electricity powered, what about the areas not part of the national grid. If they are solar powered, when do they get charged?
In a very indirect process, I intended to inform you that, this is an ill-conceived pledge . I propose this,
Introduce computers and finance the project in all secondary schools. As a government, you should finance building of at least 2/3 computer rooms/labs in each secondary school. The labs should meet all necessary requirements for a computer center. Then proceed to avail at least 120 computers per school. In essence you would be financing a project that supports three different lessons/ streams in tandem. It is cheaper and the success will be felt sooner than waiting for the first batch of lap top babies to clear form 4 in 12 years’ time!
No comments:
Post a Comment