Cc image courtesy of Ringchen at zh.wikipedia
Microsoft Kenya legal and corporate affairs director Louis Otieno says the global software maker is ready for involvement in the training of teachers on the use of laptops, having already trained 31,000 teachers in the past five years.
The company is looking to carry out the training on how to use ICT in a bid to cultivate a culture of innovation and assist students reach their full potential.
Upon the launch of the free laptops for primary schools project in Kenya the company says it will continue with the training together with the Ministry of Education, as many fear teachers do not have the necessary capacity to teach students computer skills.
“Microsoft and the Ministry of Education are thus both aptly positioned, as strategic partners to government, from both an advisory and implementation perspective,” Otieno said.
Already the company says its efforts have resulted in the training of 31,000 teachers, who have further impacted upon another 173,600 teachers, with 1,600 master trainers also having completed the programme over the past five years.
The company adds that its programmes have also impacted on 1.8 million students during the same period.
Moving forward Microsoft says for the government to initiate a similar programme for the remaining teachers a public private partnership will be necessary.
“With government’s prior experience on public private partnerships globally, it is evident that such partnerships are key towards the successful delivery and sustenance of development projects,” the statement said.
Otieno said the company is in further discussions with the government – who are the project owners – to actualise the support offered.
HumanIPO reported earlier this month the visit of Microsoft president Jean-Philippe Courtois to Kenya, during which he promised support in helping the rollout of the free laptop programme, due to start next year.
The programme, initiated by the Jubilee government, has come under threat in the past weeks with parliament threatening to cut budget allocations to buy laptops, in order to pay teachers who have been demanding dues since 1997.
