- A study across six counties found 66.7% of challenges in CBC integration stem from lack of digital hardware in PP2 classrooms.
- Teachers cited poor funding, power outages, and reliance on personal phones in rural schools, while urban centres faced limited technical support and time constraints.
- Educators reported intense supervision demands for young learners, making digital lessons difficult to manage without adequate support and infrastructure.
A new study conducted across six geographically diverse counties in Kenya has identified a severe shortage of digital devices as the primary obstacle to integrating digital learning into Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
According to the report, which surveyed ECDE teachers and school heads through focus groups and individual interviews, the lack of digital hardware accounted for 66.7 per cent of all challenges cited in technology integration for Pre-Primary Two (PP2) classrooms.
Administrative and Power Constraints
Beyond hardware shortages, the study highlighted widespread operational constraints. Limited administrative support was cited by 62.8 per cent of respondents, while frequent power and internet service interruptions affected 58.8 per cent of learning centres.
Increased supervision demands for young PP2 learners were reported by 56.9 per cent, followed closely by limited technical support at 54.9 per cent. Workload constraints and inadequate basic infrastructure were each noted by 35.3 per cent of educators.
School administrators pointed out that the absence of dedicated funding lines leaves digital integration stranded as a personal initiative rather than an institutional priority.
“We have one old laptop in this school, and the electricity goes off almost every day. My teachers cannot plan digital lessons because they never know if the power will be there. Even the phone network is very poor here. We are just surviving with the CBC,” said a Head Teacher at a public ECD Centre in Turkana County in the report.
Another Head Teacher at a public ECD centre in Kakamega County echoed these concerns, noting that there is no budget line for digital integration at the centre. When requesting support from the county level, administrators are told to wait, leaving willing teachers without the backing needed to sustain digital instruction.
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The Rural-Urban Digital Divide
The study also revealed a sharp divide between rural and urban educational environments. In rural areas, teachers rely heavily on personal smartphones due to zero school-provided technology. Without charging stations or backup generators, lessons come to an abrupt halt when phone batteries drain.
“I use my own phone for everything. The school has nothing. When the battery runs out during a lesson, the lesson just stops. There is no charger, no power socket, nothing. I have to plan my whole lesson around the phone battery,” explained an ECD teacher from Turkana County.
In contrast, their counterparts in urban and peri-urban schools cited relatively better device availability. However, these educators pointed to inadequate technical support and insufficient time set aside during the school day for digital lesson preparation.
Classroom Management Challenges
A universal hurdle reported across both public and private schools is the intense supervision required when introducing technology to early learners. Teachers noted that young children cannot be left unattended while an instructor operates software, searches for instructional content, or resolves technical glitches.
“With PP2 children you cannot just put on a video and sit down. They will be crawling under the desks or touching the device. You have to stand there and manage them the whole time. By the time you have controlled them, the lesson moment is gone,” said an ECD teacher from a private school in Nairobi.
The research was conducted by a team of scholars led by Dr. Constance Malesi Amusala, a Lecturer in Educational Psychology and Department Chair at Kaimosi Friends University, alongside Prof. Anselemo Peters Ikoha, Associate Professor of Information Technology and Director of ICT at Kibabii University.
The team also included Paul Oduor Oyile, an IT Tutorial Fellow and PhD candidate at Kibabii University, and Yuvalier Anjao Mateteyie, a Master’s candidate at Kaimosi Friends University.
By Frank Mugwe
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