Utilizing the power of television to educate young children
An initiative to enhance early childhood development
As a teacher for young children for the past 12 years, Margret Ambuka almost always used chalk and a blackboard to instruct her learners.
But with the advent of TV lessons, first utilized during pandemic school closers, Margret now includes instructional TV programmes during class time, using digital technology to broaden the learning experience.
As part of an initiative to enhance early childhood development, UNICEF is supporting the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to produce and broadcast lessons, making them available online and on free-to-air TV.
“The programmes are very interactive,” says Margaret, who teaches at the Moi Forces Academy in Nairobi, “I see my learners laugh, comment, and react while we are watching the lessons. They also copy some of the activities they see.”
Margaret adds that the learning experience provided by the programmes is entertaining and helps the children maintain concentration.
“Some of my students have access to televisions at home and come well prepared when they watch lessons with their parents.”
The TV programmes target children between 3 and 6 years old, who attend institutions for early childhood development and pre-primary school learners across all Kenya’s counties.
With the support of UNICEF, KICD has developed 40 television lessons, which are broadcasts across Kenya, offering educational content that supports teaching and learning at basic education levels, including early childhood classes.
The programmes are available to download on Kenya Education Cloud, an online platform that allows learners, teachers, and parents to access learning materials free of charge. The programmes are also available through the Kenya Education Channel TV and flash disks produced by KICD.
Providing curriculum materials for Kenyan schoolchildren is part of KICD’s mandate. The TV programmes also represent a strategic shift by UNICEF and KICD to support county governments, which are responsible for early childhood development.
