Kisumu County Chief Officer for Education, Technical Training, Innovation and Social Services, Bovince Ochieng, has emphasised the urgent need to embed technology from Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) through to tertiary education.
“We are here to look at the integration of technology within learning institutions from the primary level to the university.
Technology in education cannot be overemphasised. It is vital, especially for this generation,” said Ochieng. While speaking in Kisumu during the inaugural Western Region Edutech Summit.
He noted that while some progress had been made, including the rollout of digital learning in over half of Kisumu County’s 653 ECDE centres, rural areas still lagged due to inadequate ICT infrastructure and poor internet connectivity.
“Learners in rural areas remain disadvantaged. We must ensure they are brought at par with their urban counterparts,” he added, underscoring the county’s commitment to extending digital learning to the remaining centres in the current financial year.
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Ochieng said the integration of real-time monitoring dashboards had enabled the county to track learner progress from enrolment to graduation.
Similar systems, he said, were being introduced in vocational training institutions, with support from development partners to follow students from admission through employment or entrepreneurship.
However, he warned that policy implementation must be matched by long-term collaboration and resourcing.
“Policy formulation does not end with assent by the governor or the president; it must be supported through sustained partnership, especially at the implementation stage,” said Ochieng.
The County Director for Technical Training, Innovation and Social Services, Pascalia Ouma, hailed the summit as timely, pointing to the critical need for evidence-based decision-making in the education sector.
“Only through technology can we access accurate, real-time data. If we embrace this in our ECDE and vocational training centres, we will have achieved a significant milestone,” she noted.
A board member of Edutech, Shiko Mbugua, and one of the summit organisers, lauded the level of stakeholder engagement, describing collaboration as the bedrock of future progress.
“The kind of change we want to see in our education system won’t happen unless we all come together. I have loved the collaboration so far, and I hope we’ll return next year having made real strides in integrating technology into our schools,” she said.
The summit brought together education officials, ICT partners and policy experts from across western Kenya in a shared effort to shape a digital-forward education ecosystem that leaves no learner behind.
During the forum, key education stakeholders from the western region rallied for the accelerated and inclusive integration of technology in learning institutions, citing its pivotal role in bridging inequality and transforming education outcomes at all levels.
By Fredrick Odiero
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