NYERI, Kenya, April 16 – As COVID-19 pandemic continue to keep thousands of learners away from institutions of learning, teachers countrywide have embraced technology to ensure their students and pupils continue with their studies.
Schools have developed online applications which are ensuring students especially candidates set to sit for this year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) continue with their studies using their parent’s smart phones and laptops.
Videoconferencing tools deployed included Zoom, Skype and Google in classes running from 8 o’clock in morning to late in the afternoon.
At Stella Maris Othaya Girls Secondary School in Nyeri, the administration has developed an application dubbed “classes without walls” which is ensuring over 200 Form IV candidates continue with learning in virtual classes.
Jane Njuguna, the School Principal, said t the program had attained a ninety-five per cent success threshold. She exuded confidence on the preparedness of candidates in the institution to sit for KCSE exams.
“We started this app last year to enable our candidates revise in a pool for better results. But with closure of schools due to COVID-19 we realized that we can still teach and that’s is why our students are benefitting,” said Njuguna.
She however said the program had encountered a myriad of challenges including unstable internet connections that has in some cases rendered the online learning platform inaccessible to some students.
“I want to say that although this program is working but we have some students who are unable to participate. This could be as a result of network problems. However, we are storing the same in our website so that when they came back, and they will also get the same content and catch up,” said Njuguna.
She said each student is required to join the class with respective teachers taking a roll call to register absentees.
Denis Warutere, a Kiswahili teacher Capital FM News found in session, said he was able to interact with all his students through the application and respond to questions raised by individual learners.
The Ministry of Education ordered the closure of learning institutions on March 16 to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Kenya had as at Wednesday, April 15, registered 225 cases with 10 deaths.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha Monday said a decision has not been reached to postpone Form IV or Class VIII despite the disruption of learning.
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