The world has long since entered the digital age. However, 1.3 billion children aged 3-17 around the globe have not yet crossed the threshold of the Internet.

Kenya is just one of many countries suffering from a lack of digital education infrastructure. To address this, the Kenyan government recognized the importance of digital education and launched a program covering everything from basic computer skills to programming.

However, there are still many challenges to overcome, including the low levels of understanding among teachers and parents, coupled with a lack of appropriate education infrastructure.

The need for digital education

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, but most of its approximately 2 million residents live in informal settlements. As a results, children’s access to digital education is low. Public schools in these settlements have limited budgets, making it difficult to implement digital education.

There is also a shortage of equipment and devices in classrooms and teachers have few digital education skills. As a result, the digital education gap is further widening.

This situation is even worse in Kiambu and Murang’a, rural areas adjacent to Nairobi. Here, most families are still reliant on subsistence farming, and internet access is just 13%, compared to 42% in urban areas.

A whole of community approach

To address these challenges, ChildFund Korea and ChildFund International have been working to build digital learning environments for young people in Nairobi, Kiambu, and Murang’a. This has included:

• Strengthening school digital infrastructure, with the provision of laptops, tablets, projectors, and tablet charging cabinets in 10 primary schools.
• Providing education on the use of laptops and tablets for teachers and school administrators, as well as best practices for the use of digital devices.
• Teacher training on digital education, including how to using multimedia materials, methods for evaluating and managing learning using digital methods, and the use of educational apps for different subject areas.

In addition, the program has created subject-specific digital education content which meets the existing curriculum. Students learn self-protection skills in online environments, as well as ways to undertake information retrieval online.

Parents are also part of the learning process, with guidance provided on how to protect their children from harmful online environments. Parents learn how to navigate the online world, what risks are present, and practical tips such as how to use personal information settings.

Finally, ChildFund is advocating for new digital learning policies with the Kenyan government. By demonstrating the effectiveness of the project, ChildFund hopes new policies will reinforce the need for digital learning initiatives in schools while also laying the foundations for future budget support.

ChildFund’s WEB Safe & Wise initiative works in partnership with children to counter online threats and to create tools and resources to help them be effective digital citizens who are equipped to safely navigate the online world. Learn more.