80 digital hubs are to be set up across 6 Sub Saharan countries in a programme that aims to spur ICT innovation and integration in teaching and learning.

The Africa Digital Schools Project “Badiliko” is being implemented by the British Council and Microsoft who are injecting about Sh84 million in cash, staff and in-kind resources like equipment, books, etc.

The Badiliko programme kicked off in Nairobi with a four-day workshop that is going to train 90 educators from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia.

The selected educators and school leaders will undergo the ‘Badiliko’ training course modules structured to equip teachers to become trainers of trainers. The training will aid teachers in preparing students with the knowledge and skills they need for life and work in the 21st century.

The digital hubs will be powered by Windows MultiPoint Server and supported by solar power and long-range Wi-Fi where necessary.

Speaking during the launch of the training at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, Mark Matunga, Regional Education Manager, Microsoft East and Southern Africa said; “Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft has trained over 20,000 Kenyan educators not only on basic ICT skills, but also on ICT integration in Teaching and Learning. In addition Microsoft has generated over 230,000 email accounts in Kenya and 45,000 email accounts in Uganda for public school teachers.”

The project will draw lessons from similar work already underway in Africa by the British Council, and a commitment that Microsoft and other partners made at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2010 to build digital labs.

40 “lighthouse” schools have been built in Haiti, serving 24,000 students.