Connecting Dreams: Leshan's Journey with Internet Enabled Learning

Leshan Ngaiwa, 10, is excited about today’s science lesson. He brings an old black laptop to the computer classroom. This has been his routine for the last year. Because UNICEF connected his school to the Internet all his science lessons on Fridays involve computers.

“It has been great using the internet for my science lessons,” says Leshan. “Using computers is fun. I am able to search for new things and learn about them easily.”

Leshan’s newfound computer literacy has been made possible by a new support effort introduced to his school, Highridge Primary School in Nairobi County, to help make learning more interactive, practical, and attractive to students.

“At home, I must share the television and the Internet with my sibling. Here at school, it is much easier because we are each allocated a computer and we only use them for schoolwork.”

“Today I am searching for the word ‘osmosis’. I couldn’t understand it well when the teacher taught it in class. I like watching videos on the words. I understand them better.”

Under the School Connectivity Programme, UNICEF provided technical, financial, and capacity building support, Highrigde Primary School was among 134 others connected to the Internet in partnership with Airtel Kenya Limited.

As part of the support, UNICEF aims to integrate use of information technology in education, improving learning outcomes among students enrolled in target schools, as well as improving the overall delivery of teaching by the teachers. ICT integration enables them to improve on the pedagogical skills as well as making it easy to research learning content through available zero-rated platforms as well as from the internet and other open sources.

Airtel and UNICEF support complements the Kenyan government’s Giga “Last Mile School Connectivity” initiative, aimed at ensuring schools are connected to reliable and sustainable internet. The government also provided digital devices and tablets to Highridge primary school.

In addition to the school connection to internet, UNICEF has trained three teachers at Highridge Primary School enhancing their skills on integration of information technology into education through the re-tooling a programme implemented jointly with UNICEF and the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). The training of teachers’ programme has complemented the results and impact of work achieved with Airtel support. This has consisted of the review of the online teacher training course on ICT integration with KICD and ensuring that teachers (especially those already deployed and teaching in schools) are re-oriented of ICT Integration in their teaching.

Risper Nyaboke, one of Leshan’s teachers, says the child’s performance in class has greatly improved since she began using computers to aid her teaching.

“Leshan is now more motivated to come to school, he is among our top learners,” says Risper.

Risper says teaching had become more straightforward and practical with internet accessibility as teachers could visualize what they planned to teach ahead of time by watching online videos and using other online materials. She appreciated the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD’s) Elimika zero-rate platform where she derives a lot of lessons and content on a day-to-day basis.

 “As a teacher, I also received additional training support through this partnership with UNICEF. I can research different lessons and teach them well in class. Teaching is more enjoyable for me, and I believe it is the same for the learners too.”

With his new computer skills, Leshan is hopeful about his future, and he now dreams of being a surgeon, “I watch a lot of videos on how surgeons do their job,” he says with a smile. “I want to be one when I grow up, so that I can support my family and friends.”