By Asa Maina
About 896 public secondary schools countrywide are set to benefit from internet installation by the Communication Authority of Kenya at a cost of Sh837 million.
Completion of phase one project will enable the schools access Internet connection under the Universal Service Fund (USF).
USF is established by law to finance regulatory interventions towards ensuring universal access to ICT services across the country.
CAK Director General, Francis Wangusi, said this recently at CA’s 16th Consumer awareness forum, commonly referred as Kikao Kikuu held at Kimathi University in Nyeri town, Nyeri County.
29 public secondary schools in Nyeri benefited in the first phase.
The program dubbed the “Education Connectivity Broadband project” targets to connect all the 8,500 public secondary schools in Kenya to internet over the next five years.
The move will enhance delivery of educational content and quality learning using ICT platform.
The project is one of the two flagship projects recommended by an ICT Access Gaps study commissioned by CA in 2016 to determine the levels of access to information and communications services in the country. The other is the Voice Infrastructure.
“This project will spur increased broadband connectivity in all parts of the country including rural areas where the beneficiary schools are located and also greatly improve education through digital learning by enabling access to online content by students and teachers,” Wangusi noted.
ICT Cabinet Secretary, Joe Mucheru, said the education broadband connectivity will compliment various projects the government is spearheading to ensure universal access to all Kenyans.
“The government is betting on ICTs and innovation to realise the BIG Four priority areas; the expansion of manufacturing, affordable housing, food security, and universal health care, thus there is need to increase the penetration of the high-speed Internet connectivity in the country” Mucheru said.
The mobile Internet penetration in the country stands at 112.7 per cent while the broadband internet penetration is still at 38.8 per cent.
The broadband education project is being implemented through partnership between the Authority and the Education ministry.
