Today the world celebrates the International Day of Education. Education is the bedrock for Kenya’s development, with human capital critical to economic and social development. Indeed skills is one of the pillars of the government’s Digital Economy Blueprint launched by President Kenyatta in 2019. During the pandemic education has been both significantly disrupted, and significantly transformed. We must reflect and adapt education for the future in order to grow the digital economy and achieve Vision 2030.
According to a study by World Bank, it is estimated that interruptions to school participation and learning are projected to result in losses valued at $ 15 trillion. This is in terms of affected children’s future earnings and in long-lasting impacts on well-being and life prospects, particularly for the most disadvantaged learners. The effects of COVID-19 on education could be felt for decades to come.
The vast majority of us are looking forward to putting the events that started in early 2020 as a result of the pandemic behind us. From wreaking havoc upon learning across the globe, then consequently leading to school disruptions and closures; not only did the pandemic exacerbate inequalities in education and learning across the country but also laid bare the existing challenges within the sector especially in regards to readiness and preparedness.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Changing Course, Transforming Education”. Technology has played a significant role in transforming education as we know it, with growth in online learning. According to a study done by UNESCO, at the beginning of the pandemic it was estimated that, globally, 826 million students were without household computers, 706 million lacked internet at home and another 56 million lacked access to 3G/4G network coverage. Without adequate ICT devices, internet connectivity, education resources, or teacher training, virtual learning cannot be a reality. This provides a great risk for more students being left behind and therefore increasing the existing inequalities.
The Ministry of Education provided remote teaching support using the internet, radio and television whilst encouraging academic institutions to adapt teaching materials to create a more accessible online learning environment. Many network operators provided free or subsidized access to the government’s Kenya Education Cloud and private sector education websites. The Ajira program through the Ministry of ICT has provided access to learning resources to youth online allowing tens of thousands of youth to upskill, gain certifications and gainful online employment.
Education technology (EdTech) has thus enabled remote leaning and education, coming to the rescue for educators locally and across the globe. With the proliferation and penetration of mobile technology in developing markets, EdTech has the potential to give millions of students an opportunity to learn now and in the future.
As a country we have made significant strides in ensuring learning never stopped during the pandemic and we have seen the possibilities for what learning in future could look like. On International Day of Education, we must all commit to making it a priority to use technology to improve the equity, access and quality of learning for all, so that the country and every Kenyan can reach their full potential to enable the development of digital economy.
The writer is the Huawei Kenya Chief Executive Officer
