A new wave of digital frenzy has re-ignited the hunger for knowledge in one of Kenya’s remotest regions. With no electricity, no proper classrooms and few teachers, pupils at Asilong Primary school can no longer lag behind the digital age, thanks to an unknown gadget, a little green XO laptop, that has revolutionized the learning system in the school.
The school, situated in West Pokot district, 500 km north of the capital Nairobi, is the talk of the area. Students are learning via computers. Pupils no longer write their compositions on paper, they type it. This may sound absurd considering the fact that the school is dilapidated, lacks teachers, has no proper facilities including windows. In fact most students learn under trees. But such pitfalls would not deter the students and teachers alike, from embracing technology.
With the introduction of MsingiPACK on these XO Laptops, the school has undergone a dramatic change with everything operating so different compared to previous years. Msingi is a Swahili word meaning foundation; hence the laptops have created the foundation for e-learning. The school currently has 100 laptops, which are not enough for the increasing number of students, but the headteacher is optimistic that the gap will be filled. Taking us round the classrooms, the headteacher’s pride was not lost on us.
“I am very happy because our school is in the front line of technology. My students can now match their urban counterparts,” says Joachim Kiprop.
