- Nyamira County Government has introduced digital learning in all 408 of its ECDE centres, following a pilot in 120 centres and an expansion to 209.
- Governor Amos Nyaribo has said the programme, run with EIDU and other partners, has made learning easier and helped bridge the gap between well-equipped and under-resourced schools.
- The county has established an ICT hub that trains 30 youth every month, while ECDE enrolment has risen from 28,000 to 35,000 within eight months.
Nyamira County Government has introduced digital learning in all its 408 Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) centres, Governor Amos Nyaribo has said.
Nyaribo said the programme was first piloted in 120 centres and later expanded to 209 centres before the full rollout across the county’s 20 wards. The initiative is being implemented in partnership with Enabling Impact through Digital Understanding (EIDU) and other development partners.
Speaking during the Gusii Education Stakeholders’ Convention at Kisii University, the Governor said the move was worth emulating because it lays a strong science foundation for a stable country. He said exposing children at PP1 and PP2 level to tablets, interactive videos, animations, songs and games builds confidence and familiarity with technology at the youngest age possible. Nyaribo added that this early exposure is key to producing enough manpower for the country in future, since learners who grow up with digital skills will form a strong base for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which are critical for national development.
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The Governor noted that digital learning has also made learning easier and more interesting, with children learning faster and retaining more when lessons are presented engagingly. He said the programme has also helped to bridge the gap between well-equipped and under-resourced schools, because learners in remote rural areas can now access standardised content developed by experts.
The initiative is also creating employment opportunities. The county has established an ICT hub at its headquarters with 32 workstations and high-speed internet, where 30 youth are trained every month in web development, graphic design, cyber security, content writing and virtual assistance. The graduates are linked to banks and development partners for soft loans to start their own ventures. Nyaribo said the target is to reduce youth poverty from 7.6 per cent to 3 per cent.
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According to stakeholders, a region with digital literacy stands to benefit in many sectors. In security, digitally literate youth can support community surveillance systems and cybersecurity, and use technology in crime reporting. In health, they will be able to embrace telemedicine, digital health records and health information systems. In transport and agriculture, they will be able to manage smart transport systems, digital market linkages and precision farming.
The digital learning programme is complemented by the UjiAfya Masomo Bora Programme, which provides fortified porridge daily to over 30,000 learners. The Governor said enrolment has increased from 28,000 to 35,000 within eight months. Nyaribo urged other counties to emulate the model, saying this is how Kenya will create a stable, self-reliant and competitive nation in the global digital economy.
By Enock Okong’o
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