Edtech East Africa

Tag: Evidence- based policies

  • Using EdTech to bridge learning gaps in poor and underprivileged urban centers

    Using EdTech to bridge learning gaps in poor and underprivileged urban centers

    By Josaya Wasonga 

    The Foundation Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (FLANA) report, launched by Usawa Agenda in collaboration with Youth Initiative Kenya (Yike), titled “Are our children learning?” highlights disparities in enrollment, absenteeism, and the quality of education, particularly among vulnerable groups. 

    The findings in the report indicate that despite a national enrollment rate of 91%, Nairobi lags slightly behind at 89.4%, with more girls enrolling compared to boys. The city faces a high dropout rate, particularly among children with disabilities, at 7.1%. Also, a large number of the capital city’s children are not in school; 6.3% drop out after enrolling, and 4.3% never enroll. What’s more, 10% of girls and 11.44% of school-aged boys in Nairobi are not attending school. This out-of-school rate is higher than the national average. 

    How can EdTech be used, not just in Nairobi, but also in other urban centers across the country, to address the challenges that learners in poor and underprivileged settings face? This is one of the questions Elizabeth Ndungu tried to answer. Elizabeth, who is Nairobi County’s Director of Digital Economy and Startups, said there are various initiatives her office is undertaking to boost digital literacy and spur job creation in the green city in the sun. 

    “What we have been seeing especially within the government is that technology has been inward-facing; we have always developed technology just to serve the users,” Elizabeth said. 

    “But under the new initiative, we want to reach out to the community and also be part of the ecosystem, bringing people together. We want to lead, and that is why we have brought the community together.” 

    The new initiative is two-pronged: city governance excellence and a department of e-learning. It’s in the latter that ICT education is integrated. The county government is in charge of early childhood education in Nairobi, as well as vocational training centers. However, with rapidly increasing populations in informal settlements, the county government’s resources are stretched thin. 

    Urban centers—and, indeed, large cities like Nairobi—have unique learning issues, which require unique solutions and innovations that are specifically tuned to bridge the learning gaps in poor and underprivileged urban centers.

    Access to online resources 

    Every crisis presents an opportunity to learn and do better. Zeraki learned this during the Covid-19 pandemic. This crisis made them realize that a bolt out of the blue can happen, which can make learning impossible in a classroom or make bringing learners and teachers together a huge challenge. 

    This means that innovators should come up with tools or technologies to help so that, in such circumstances, education is not suspended. Zeraki simplifies and enhances the use of technology to deliver quality education, with products for parents, teachers, and schools. They give at-risk learners—such as those in poor and underprivileged settings—access to quality instruction. They also avail training resources to teachers. 

    Accessibility of education 

    “People assume that, in Nairobi, schools are overstaffed,” Elizabeth said. “Looking at the ratio of the resources, both human and physical resources, we still find that there is a great challenge.” 

    Nairobi has about 230 early childhood public schools and approximately 1,300 early childhood teachers. These teachers are not enough to serve the number of learners who attend schools, which will adversely impact the accessibility of education. 

    Nairobi has the highest number of private schools. Yet, not all Nairobi children have access to education because the numbers are incredibly high. There are different types of schools in Kenya. The Basic Education Act (2013) defines two categories, namely public and private schools, while the Alternative Providers of Basic Education and Training (APBET) Guidelines provide another by defining APBET schools. The APBET Policy and Guidelines (2016) are silent on the nature of ownership required for APBET schools.

    EdTech can be used to mitigate the issue of accessibility of education. Loho Learning builds technologies that mainly resolve four things, one of which is the accessibility of education. The others are innovation around the affordability of quality education, inclusive education, and data and insights into quality education. 

    Automating assessments

    A big percentage of schools in resource-constrained urban areas still rely on the old chalk-and-blackboard method of instruction in classrooms. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recommends a teacher-student ratio of 25 students per teacher for primary schools. 

    The TSC recommends a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of 40:1 for the primary level. The overall PTR was 24 pupils to a teacher at the primary and pre-primary level. According to a 2020 study by the Ministry of Education, of the 17 sub-counties in Nairobi, Starehe recorded the lowest PTR (it also had fewer schools participating in the study), while Njiru had the highest PTR of 29 learners per teacher.

    However, according to a 2015 BBC report, the pupil-teacher ratio has steadily increased since 2012. One Nairobi school, the Olympic Primary School, admitted that some classes have as many as 120 pupils in one room, handled by one teacher. 

    This presents many challenges, one of which is assessment, which is an important component of transition. CBC Grade books are strenuous and time-consuming to fill and tend to be utilized only at the end of the term. Kurasa enables teachers to conduct formative, summative, and performance-based assessments to support the competency-based approach to teaching and learning. This includes both KICD and non-KICD evaluations. 

    Kurasa offers a revolutionary way to implement and manage CBC online easily. Assessments can be filled in time by all teachers simultaneously and reports sent out to parents weekly. 

    Virtual classrooms 

    Not all schools in Nairobi have access to technology. Others lack vital infrastructure, and, as such, this hampers access to EdTech solutions. Which means that children do not have equal learning opportunities. What’s the city supposed to do in situations like this? 

    The answer is virtual classrooms. As a speaker in the AI in education forum stated, the city can borrow lessons from what the FCDC and other education partners did. In the frontier counties, they have hubs that have electricity, which they can plug into their laptops. From one hub, for instance, one science teacher can transmit a lesson to five or six different schools. 

    Bridging the tech gap 

    Another gap that needs to be bridged is that of technology. Not all teachers have the digital skills and have to play catchup with the learners. That gap that exists between the digital immigrants and the digital natives affects learning outcomes. 

    “Nairobi has a unique generational gap challenge in that a school may have teachers who have been teaching for 15-20 years, and they have learners who span different generations: millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alphas,” Elizabeth said.  

    That’s where a provider like Ntemata comes in, whose core business is automating assessment processes for teachers as well as holistically analysing competency learning. Ntemata is in the business of supporting teachers so that, in return, they can be fully engaged with their learners. A teacher who is better equipped with EdTech tools is in a prime position to make learners perform better. 

    Conclusion 

    “In Nairobi, we have parents who suffer from TB— “Too Busy”—and in this case, the teachers become the parents,” Elizabeth said. “Currently everybody is talking about mental health issues. Yet we are heaping more burdens on our teachers. They are the parents, the nurses, the doctors, the cooks, and everything.” 

    There is a need for systems where teachers can develop resilience on their own. They also need systems and safe places where they can develop their mental health and be in a position to address the myriad needs of learners.  

    “Let us also think about other aspects concerning support groups and virtual learning for both the teachers and the learners,” Elizabeth concluded. “That they can have virtual discussion groups in different areas because we find we are encouraging and building talent.”

  • How Evidence-Based Practices Strengthen the EdTech Ecosystem: Insights from 2024 EdTech Summit: Kenya Edition

    How Evidence-Based Practices Strengthen the EdTech Ecosystem: Insights from 2024 EdTech Summit: Kenya Edition

    By Josaya Wasonga

    Evidence is the appearance from which inferences may be drawn. It also means ground for belief or obviousness. In the EdTech space, evidence is as important as any other variable needed to make this ecosystem work like a finely tuned Swiss wristwatch. 

    Evidence was the topic of discussion in the opening panel of the 3rd Kenyan edition of the EdTech Summit. Why is evidence so important? Good question. Because it’s the solid basis for implementing solutions, future paths can be charted and corrective measures can be made. Because, just as in a court case, it’s the basis on which stakeholders can deduce judgments. Because evidence makes players more strategic in their interventions.  

    The panelists in this session on strengthening EdTech with evidence were Elizabeth Otieno, Ciku Mbugua, Dr. Tiberius Barasa, and  Barnabas Sang. Elizabeth is from the Directorate of Basic Primary Education in the Ministry of Education (MoE). Ciku is the co-leader for the EdTech Hub. Dr. Barasa is a policy researcher and analyst. He’s a lecturer at Bomet University College and is on secondment to MoE. Sang is the Director of ICT for the State Department for Basic Education under the MoE.  

    Director Sang, who was in Italy attending a training about AI in education, joined the panel virtually. He spoke about KEMIS, which will lay the groundwork for a more data-driven, equitable, and accountable education system. (It is yet to be officially called KEMIS, though, because it requires legal duplication). MoE will also explore how these systems will align with the national education sector strategic plan. 

    Sang stated that they want to improve the efforts of other stakeholders, more precisely target their interventions, and close the gaps that the data reveals.

    Data is king 

    KEMIS is an essential pillar in Kenyan digital transformation and education. This system allows for real-time data collection of student enrollment, attendance, and resources, offering an unprecedented level of visibility into the education landscape. For instance, the platform ensures transparency in the distribution of resources, such as free education. It will also enable the government to allocate resources more efficiently.

    Data is not only a mere tool for monitoring progress but is also a critical driver of policy formulation. NEMIS serves as the backbone of collecting accurate and timely data, which informs policy aimed at improving education outcomes. What this unlocks for a researcher or funder is the ability to understand more about the teachers and the learners that you want to serve. 

    The work that Sang and his team are doing to bring all of these different diverse data sets together will create more insights into what’s actually happening on the ground for learners, teachers, and families across Kenya. 

    One of the initiatives Sang mentioned is the Education Evidence Hub. It is a way for players in the EdTech space to utilize some of this data, which has much more evidence that’s being generated across diverse EdTech ecosystems. 

    Education Evidence Hub

    “All of you have been sitting here as partners in education; there are interventions that you are undertaking,” Elizabeth threw down the gauntlet. “And if I ask you, what influences your intervention? What is influencing your action? Maybe you heard somebody say it.”  

    Those are the ills that the Evidence Hub, which is a simple connector between data, wants to cure. It will be a one-stop source of information at MoE, which will generate information on all the questions and challenges in education. For some, MoE is going to find an approach via policy gaps. They will do this by carrying out surveys generating real data and working with universities to generate data. 

    The Evidence Hub is going to work with all three tech departments and all partners. It is not a property of MoE. It is our system at the education center. 

    “After we have identified gaps, we are going to collect information from the Ministry of Education,” Elizabeth explained. “We are going to look at the issues around the existing gaps.” 

    “And I’ll give you an example. There could be a gap in the response to the health issues of children. If you ask parents if they are sure about the safety of their children, they will have different answers. But at the ministry, what is the data that we have? What is the data on sanitation? What is the data on water availability in our schools? What is the evidence?” 

    ICT will be a tool to help MoE package information, deploy it on numerous servers, and package it so that the general public, educators, education managers, and students can easily consume it.

    What’s the end game? To get processes and structures to produce and use data and evidence for policy impact. That’s one. And two is to improve the skills that are administered to help people generate, analyze, and synthesize data and package it purposefully for policy. 

    Evidence in lecture halls  

    The proof of the pudding is in the eating. And the proof that evidence is real and grounded in reality can be found on the ground. One such ground is a lecture hall. No one knows this better than Dr. Barasa. 

    Dr. Barasa witnessed firsthand how COVID-19 forced lecturers and higher learning institutions to change their teaching methodologies. 

    “Within a short time, nearly eight percent of universities in Kenya started offering their programs online,” Dr. Barasa said. “There was rapid training of lectures to be able to teach using technology. Many lecturers found it very difficult. Some old professors found it torturous to teach online. But they had no option but to do it.” 

    Bomet University College, where Dr. Barasa plies his trade, teaches all its students ICT. They have adopted blended learning; lecturers need to utilize at least 40% of their time using technology or doing blended learning. Some lecturers have gone a step further and offer their programs up to 60-50% using technology. 

    “Students seem to love it; they enjoy it; it’s very interactive. And the assessments have shown that as we interact with students or engage them online, they increase their learning ability, and they experience deep learning as opposed to shallow learning.”  

    Dr. Barasa shared a student’s experience concerning the use of technology and evidence in decision-making. 

    “From the very beginning, I use engagement methodologies. I engage the students before I start to teach. I ask them about the expectations of the course, and they all write them down and present them. I engage them at every stage of learning in the delivery of the content because I don’t deliver much content. They do it themselves. I also engage them about the assessments.”

    Dr. Barasa ensures that every learning activity has student input. He uses simulations and case studies. A student came up to him and confessed that he had never experienced deep learning as much as he had within that course in public policy analysis. The most interesting thing for this student was a real policy scenario and analysis right from the problem identification, decision-making, and evaluation. And for him, he had integrated all the aspects of quality analysis that he required for his life. Upon graduation, this student went ahead to enroll in a Master’s program in public policy at the University of Nairobi. 

    This just goes to show that the use of technology can improve teaching and learning in universities. Besides, it can also generate important evidence that will inform public policy. 

    Research gap

    In education, if there is one thing that stakeholders can never have enough of, it is research. Without adequate research, which harvests tons of invaluable pieces of evidence, we will not hit our targets. And this is because, without evidence, it is akin to shooting in the dark while blindfolded. Which is a high risk that stakeholders cannot afford to take. 

    As a nation, we haven’t yet scratched the surface of the 2 percent of what is desired to support research. In the initial stage, we are operating with 0.4 percent of the national budget to support research. It is hoped that in the next budgeting year, the research budget will increase to probably about 0.8 percent. 

    “The support from the national government concerning finance for research is still meager,” Dr. Barasa said. “And of course, we understand the constraints that the government is going through regarding finances. But we hope that will improve and that allows all interested stakeholders to come in and support our research at the universities.”  

    Generating evidence through implementation 

    “As EdTech Hub, we’re in the business of generating evidence,” Ciku stated. “Which is why we’re a key partner at the EdTech Summit. We believe that technology cannot only be accelerated, but we need evidence to be able to scale.” 

    “Why hasn’t EdTech realized its potential?” an audience member asked. 

    “There isn’t a lot of evidence out there,” Ciku replied. “There are so many key issues that are under research. However, where evidence is available, it’s hard to find and hard to read.” 

    EdTech Hub often collaborates with researchers. They generate evidence that makes it into some of the top journals. However, it can be difficult for a layman to read and understand those journal articles. This is why there is a need to find better ways to package evidence based on who researchers are talking to. And the flip side is that it is hard to make good-quality decisions if you don’t have good evidence.

    Sandbox 

    of proving orThe idea of a sandbox, which comes from the tech community budget, involves carving out mini systems within boxes with the purpose of proving or testing our assumptions. 

    Here’s the thing: there’s a lot of uncertainty at the beginning of implementing edtech solutions. Plus, it is extremely expensive. The best way to go about it is to start in a small way and test your idea before you invest all of your money in something that you’re not sure about. The more the uncertainty decreases, then, as an analyst, you can begin to improve your expenditure or your investment in it. 

    Edtech exists within a wider ecosystem. You cannot afford to live on an island. Even when in a sandbox, you should think about the bigger picture. 

    “When we are doing our sandboxes, we use what we call the six keys,” Ciku explained. “What is this product? What is it going to be used for? Who are the people that are going to use it? Do we have provision for it, or will we introduce it into schools and then in six months we have to bow out because we haven’t thought about the cost-effectiveness? What is the place that it is going to be used in?” 

    Conclusion

    Edtech doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s part of a much wider ecosystem. It deals with every facet that surrounds learning. And all these facets revolve around evidence. Which means that we cannot work on assumptions. It is either solid evidence or nothing at all. 

    Evidence bolsters the work of all stakeholders. It ensures that the entire ecosystem thrives. But for this to happen, the evidence must not only be shared liberally, but ought to be in a language that can be easily chewed and swallowed by all stakeholders, be they the proletariat or university professors.  

  • EdTech: A Piece in the Puzzle—EE4A 2023, Insights on the Crucial Role of Evidence in Education Reform

    EdTech: A Piece in the Puzzle—EE4A 2023, Insights on the Crucial Role of Evidence in Education Reform

    By Juliet Awuor

    “Despite education receiving over a third of the national budget, many decisions are made without reliance on evidence, leading to inadequate knowledge and information on alternative, cost-effective, and impactful alternatives,” Dr. Kilemi Mwiria observed at the recently concluded 5th Education Evidence for Action (EE4A) 2023 in Homabay County. Dr. Mwiria is the Managing Director of Africa at Education.Org, an independent non-profit that uses evidence to transform education for children and young people. Having a political and research background, Dr. Kilemi was a great fit to deliver the keynote because he could speak from both sides. If you recall, he led a task force in 2014, proposing a raft of measures, including introducing free secondary education.

    EE4A is a biennial conference that brings together the research community—researchers, development partners, and policymakers—in education in Kenya to discuss the use of evidence in education decision-making. This year, EE4A was from November 28th to November 30th, with the theme Revitalizing the Evidence Community for Kenya’s Education. It was the first time a learning institution, Tom Mboya University, hosted this conference and ensured strong representation from the academic research community in Kenya, with over 40 deans from universities and technical institutions in attendance.

    Dr. Mwiria argued that the collection of enrollment data, participation data, and other data helps allocate resources effectively and provide ideas about progress. However, reports about these numbers may not always reflect the reality on the ground, with many students going through difficulties such as the scarcity of textbooks distributed to schools and the shortage of teachers in some areas. 

    Also in his keynote speech, Dr. Mwiria discussed the challenges of using evidence in school administration, particularly in school examinations. He noted that while there are county quality assurance teams that use evidence to guide special transitions, there are issues with the objectivity of this data across all schools and the potential for manipulation.

    Representing the Ministry of Education (MoE) was Mr. Darius Mogaka, Director of University Education, who read the opening remarks on behalf of Hon. Ezekiel Machogu, the Cabinet Secretary at MoE. He reiterated the importance of using evidence as a catalyst for transformative change in Kenya’s education. He gave the example of the government’s commitment to educational reforms by commissioning the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), which conducted countrywide consultations with education stakeholders, resulting in a report that prioritized reforms for quality education.

    In his speech, Hon. Machogu recognized the symbiotic relationship between evidence and policy in ensuring that decisions resonate with the proven dynamics of effective education. As such, he emphasized the importance of inclusivity, ensuring that every voice from the classroom to the research lab is heard.  

    Of interest to the EdTech ecosystem was having EdTech as one of the four EE4A conference tracks, positioning it as a key enabler to improving education outcomes. EdTech East Africa held their first Western Kenya EdTech Summit as an EE4A 2023 pre-conference activity on November 28th. This half-day event built upon the national-level conversation conducted at the Kenya EdTech Summit in September 2023. The Western Kenya EdTech Summit allowed local EdTech innovators and enablers to interact with the Kenya EdTech Collective Action Goals workshop and Learning Out Loud workshops featuring two case studies of locally implemented EdTech solutions—Edutab Africa and Angaza Elimu.

    The aim was to bring the conversations around EdTech evidence closer to the local community in Western Kenya. Kiko Muuo, the CEO of Angaza Elimu, said in his session that what data from their EdTech interventions has shown them is a disparity between the way girls and boys access technology. He said that they observed a trend where girls accessed their platform late at night when they should be asleep, while boys accessed their platform during normal after-school hours. On probing, they found out that the trend was due to domestic work by the girls after school.

    Mike Mumbo and the Edutab Africa team presented a case study of providing digital education through Moodle for offline access to two rural primary schools in a remote region in Trans Nzoia County. The ongoing case study has so far empowered teachers to integrate technology and playful learning. It has also brought to the fore the importance of collaboration with local NGOs, schools, and the Ministry of Education.

    In a pre-recorded video played at the pre-conference, Dr. Manos Antonios, Director of the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, highlighted the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report on Technology in Education. The report highlights three key findings:

    1. Although the scope and scale of technology and its change have been vast over the last few years, in higher education and lifelong learning, it has yet to transform primary education.

    2. As EdTech products change rapidly, on average every three years, research cannot keep up. In the UK, only 7% of products had gone through rigorous testing, and in the US, only 2% of apps in the government’s clearing house had evidence of a moderate or high impact on learning. In cases of the availability of evidence, it is technology providers who provide that evidence.

    3. The best way of describing the impact is that some education technologies improve some types of learning in some contexts. This also means that broader considerations around society-wide issues related to equity and quality should inform our decisions on the use of technology in education, with learners’ and teachers’ interests at the center.

    Ciku Mbugua, Kenya Co-Lead at the EdTech Hub, led a discussion on Dr. Manos Antonios’ sentiments regarding what the evidence means for the EdTech ecosystem in Western Kenya. Some of the issues that came out of this conversation were issues of teacher professional development in terms of using technology in the classroom and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas, making access to technology difficult for learners and teachers.

    During the main conference, Joan Mwachi, Collective Action Lead at EdTech East Africa, lauded the fact that this time, the EdTech conversation was part of EE4A’s core agenda and not a side conversation. Joan moderated an engaging EdTech panel consisting of Jennifer Cotter Otieno, CEO and co-founder of EdTech East Africa and Kenya Co-Lead at EdTech Hub; Kiko Muuo, representing the EdTech practitioners; Eng. Robert Juma Wamalwa, who was part of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms; Dr. Owen Ngumi, from Zetech University; and Prof. Carol Omulando from KCA University, representing academia. 

    This panel brought out issues of educators’ attitudes toward the use of technology in the classroom, the challenges of e-learning in higher education, issues of access and equity in terms of gender and geographical location of learners, the innovative collaborations between EdTech practitioners and infrastructure providers like telcos, and the strategies that EdTech East Africa is using to bridge the gap between evidence and practice of EdTech interventions. EdTech East Africa is in charge of ecosystem-building initiatives like the Kenyan EdTech Collective Action Goals, which all ecosystem participants co-created under the direction of existing government policies on ICT and education. 

    Dr. Sarah Ruto, the former CAS for Education who is part of the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEAAP), also reiterated the GEM report when she gave a snapshot of the 2023 GEAAP report on Cost-Effective Approaches to Improve Global Learning. The report outlines great, good, and bad buys for educational programs. The GEAAP report lists great buys as providing information on benefits, costs, and quality of education; supporting teachers with structured pedagogy; and targeting teaching instruction by learning level, not grade (in and out of school). However, making a single investment in hardware, such as laptops, tablets, or computers, or funding additional inputs without addressing other contextual issues has proven to be a bad buy time and time again. 

    The interesting insights that came out of the GEAAP report were the interventions with promising but limited evidence. These have studies that prove their high effectiveness, but evidence of their cost-effectiveness or examples of implementation at scale is lacking. One such intervention is using software that allows personalized learning and adapts to the learning level of the child (where hardware is already in schools). The concept of adaptive learning is already in use with EdTech products. This report clearly shows that it is an area of academic research that’s yet to be exploited.

    As a first-time attendee, the conference prompted introspection. My motivation was to interact with the evidence community as I prepared to come up with a master’s thesis topic. Listening to the different panel sessions, I couldn’t help asking myself the same questions posed. How do I make sure my research informs policy? What is my motivation for choosing a topic? And how do I maintain the quality of my research? Will it be related to EdTech, having worked in EdTech circles for more than five years?

    Dr. Charles Ochola, Vice Chancellor of Tom Mboya University, interrupted my thoughts during the Higher Education panel session. He stated that the research agenda is for career advancements and not to influence policy. Most postgraduates are self-funded by busy working students. This is why, outside every university, you see posters announcing research services and people offering to write master’s theses and Ph.D. dissertations while they don’t even hold degrees. This shines a light on the quality of evidence churned out of our higher learning institutions. Upon successful completion, the bound research gathers dust in libraries and stores, never to be read or influence policies. 

    To remedy this, Dr. Ochola said that we need to have more organizations fund authentic academic research. He stressed that senior lecturers and professors should have more time to do research, balancing it with their lecture work. There needs to be a succession plan for mentoring young lecturers. 

    In conclusion, the 5th Education Evidence 4 Action (EE4A) 2023 conference provided a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities within the education sector in Kenya. In essence, EE4A 2023 served as a platform for critical discussions, bridging the gap between research and policy in the education sector. The incorporation of the EdTech track and the insights from esteemed speakers underscored the importance of evidence-based decision-making for transformative change in Kenya’s education landscape. The discussions recognized that technology is an enabler of teaching and learning, and its implementation should focus on evidence that supports the interests of learners and educators. Moving forward, the challenge lies in translating these discussions into actionable policies that positively impact learners and educators nationwide.

    ————-

    About the author: Juliet Awuor is the Communications and Marketing Lead at EdTech East Africa, an ecosystem-building organization that aims to connect EdTech evidence to practice for developing inclusive, effective, and resilient technology-enabled education systems in East Africa.

  • EdTech CA Goal 5: Develop Sustainable Digital Infrastructure and Evidence-Driven Policy to Support Resilient Learning

    EdTech CA Goal 5: Develop Sustainable Digital Infrastructure and Evidence-Driven Policy to Support Resilient Learning

    By Maryanna Kemei

    Having gone through the first four EdTech Collective Action Fridays workshops, it was time for the team to meet for the final Goal, centered on developing Sustainable Digital Infrastructure and Evidence-Driven Policy to Support Resilient Learning. It was a meeting that brought together experts from various fields to explore how Policy and Infrastructure are affecting adaptable resilient learning solutions. 

    This workshop therefore was important as we got to identify the enablers and barriers to achieving this target but first, we got an opportunity to know how we got here through Jennifer Otieno, (EdTech East Africa Founder and CEO) who took us through the inception of the workshops. Apart from the key shapers which can be looked at as the past, the present, and the future, this conversation was represented at the Kenya Tech Summit 2022, and the Collective Action Fridays workshops, it will also be had at the Kenya EdTech Summit 2023.

    Taking us down the tech road in Africa, she focused mainly on how it has been applied in teaching. Kenya, in particular, traces its journey to the late 90s when according to the Presidential Working Party for Education Reforms, teachers began receiving training in ICT integration in teaching and learning, and schools began to receive basic ICT infrastructure, including projectors and laptops for teachers. It was however in June 2006 that the first National ICT Strategy for Education and Training was introduced by the Ministry of Education, In partnership with the state, non-governmental and civil society groups then began to implement activities to foster digital learning in Kenya, key among them being to improve digital infrastructure.

    The journey to digitize learning in Kenya did not pick up faster as it wasn’t until 2013 that the government started the first large-scale digital teaching and learning initiative named the Digital Literacy Programme (DLP). This was aimed at children in grades 1-3 in public schools. This project according to findings submitted by The Presidential Working Party on Educational Reforms was revamped in early 2016 having failed to attract more interested parties. As the year came to an end, the DLP was scaled to a national level with the intention of integrating ICT into teaching and learning. 

    The Covid-19 pandemic required education systems to adopt new operational approaches having failed to attract more interested parties. As the year came to an end, the DLP was scaled to a national level with the intention of integrating ICT into teaching and learning. It wasn’t until the time when Covid-19 happened that Kenya saw a rise in digitally enabled teaching and learning. According to Brunel University,  the Covid-19 pandemic required education systems to adopt new operational approaches and this further escalated already existing problems of limited internet access, inadequate learning facilities, and a lack of enough trained teachers among other problems. 

    In this article titled Teachers’ Use of ICT in Implementing the Competency-based Curriculum in Kenyan Public Primary Schools, Julius Mureithi and Jin Eun Yoo state that UNICEF estimated that close to 20 million learners spread across the country were out of school because of COVID-19 in Kenya as governments were forced to close schools to minimize the spread of the deadly virus. 

    ENABLERS AND BARRIERS

    To help us take a clear look at the two issues presented, Joan Mwachi, EdTech East Africa’s Collective Action Goals facilitator, divided the participants into two groups. One group discussed the enablers and barriers to building a digital infrastructure in Kenya and the other, the enablers and barriers to evidence-driven policy. These two questions made way for robust discussions as different persons went ahead to define the terms used and then made their contributions in the context of education in Kenya. 

    Availability of funds is essential for building and sustaining digital infrastructure as it ensures that students are provided with the necessary tools, resources, and training to thrive in the digital age, ultimately improving the quality of education and preparing students for the future workforce. However, studies have shown that infrastructure and ICT equipment shortages were among the challenges facing the implementation of ICT in primary schools in Kenya. 

    According to a study that was carried out in 2015 targeting 40 primary schools and 450 teachers, it was noted that 94% of the schools did not have ICT equipment, all schools in the study had a shortage of classrooms and only two private schools had functional computer laboratories. The members agreed therefore that there is a need for actors in education to come together and help bolster the digital infrastructure and evidence-driven policy.

    Accessibility and connectivity also came out as playing a crucial role in the growth of digital infrastructure and evidence-driven policy in Kenyan education, as they enable various stakeholders to leverage technology to improve the quality of education and make informed decisions. This is because it allows for connectivity between students and teachers giving them access to online learning materials. Information through digital platforms also enables parents and guardians to stay informed about their children’s education. They can monitor progress, communicate with teachers, and participate in their child’s learning journey more actively. 

    Good government policies that focus on infrastructure development, digital literacy, data privacy, and evidence-driven decision-making help to foster the growth of digital infrastructure and improve the quality of education in the country. Such policies as suggested, should be designed with the goal of ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education. They should prioritize investments in digital infrastructure, such as reliable internet connectivity, electricity access, and the provision of computing devices (e.g., laptops or tablets) to schools and students. This ensures that students and educators have access to the necessary tools for digital learning. 

    Tied to this is political goodwill that leads to increased allocation of resources for digital infrastructure in education. This includes funding for hardware like computers and tablets, the development of software for educational purposes, and internet connectivity in schools. When policymakers prioritize these investments, it creates an enabling environment for the growth of digital infrastructure. 

    Political leaders can create policies and regulations that support the integration of technology into education. These policies may include incentives for private sector investment in education technology and the development of guidelines for using digital tools effectively in the classroom. A supportive policy environment encourages the adoption of digital infrastructure.

    It was also noted that collaboration is a great enabler as it brings different players both from the government and the private sector to work together through the creation of policies and regulations that support the integration of technology into education, and the provision of digital infrastructure.

    Teacher perception and capacity were also mentioned as both an enabler and barriers in advancing digital infrastructure. Mureithi and Yoo (2021), demonstrated that ICT in education helps create opportunities for learners to develop 21st Century skills but this depends on the digital literacy of teachers (UNESCO, 2012). Studies on the capacity of teachers in primary schools in Kenya show that, despite the policy formulation for ICT in education and financial investment, the integration of technology in Kenyan classrooms remains low. 

    According to them, studies on how perception affects the integration of ICT in education show that what teachers think about the use of technology affects their acceptance and subsequent application in their activities. In a study to assess teachers’ beliefs, attitudes, self-efficacy, computer competency, and age, they found out that younger teachers had a highly positive attitude toward technology. This finding they add, could be attributed to the younger teachers having received technology training in the teacher training colleges. It was therefore agreed that teachers’ attitudes should be addressed so as to get the desired results. 

    The presence of data and consumer awareness was raised as an enabler as information like student performance, attendance, teacher effectiveness, and resource allocation will assist both the government, education institutions, and policymakers to identify areas of improvement, allocate resources more effectively, and tailor educational programs to meet specific needs.

    BARRIERS:

    The disconnect between policymakers and academia was seen as a great barrier to digital infrastructure and evidence-driven policy as it contributes to its inefficacy in different ways. A study by Kenyatta University on E-Learning policy-making processes in Marsabit Distance Learning Centre quotes McGrath saying that policies that have not been informed by good evidence and analysis result in becoming a victim of the ‘Law of unintended consequences’. 

    One of the ways is through misalignment of goals where policymakers may set lofty goals and objectives for digital infrastructure and evidence-driven policies without fully understanding the practical challenges and limitations faced by educators and schools. This misalignment can lead to unrealistic expectations and resource allocation. Policymakers may also formulate policies and initiatives without consulting teachers, administrators, and other education professionals who work directly in schools. Such goals and policies become difficult for teachers to implement.  

    Insufficient training and support of teachers and education practitioners is also another barrier. Formulating policies and initiatives without consulting teachers, administrators, and other education professionals who work directly in schools can result in policies that are out of touch with the realities of the classroom and are difficult to implement.

    Another challenge is that of resource constraints. When an institution is allocated inadequate funding, it inhibits the work to be done and undermines the success of the initiatives. 

    Socio-cultural factors came into play as another hindrance to digital infrastructure and evidence-driven policies in Kenya’s education system. Income and location can determine who has access to the internet and digital devices. This can lead to a digital divide where students from disadvantaged backgrounds are left behind. 

    Cultural attitudes can shape how education is perceived. In some cultures, traditional forms of education are highly valued, and there may be resistance to adopting digital methods. Parents and communities may prioritize traditional teaching methods over digital ones. There are communities that also do not consider it important to educate a girl child therefore girls and young women may face additional barriers in accessing digital infrastructure and pursuing education in STEM fields, further perpetuating gender disparities. 

    Recommendations to the PWPER from the EdTech Taskforce

    A task force of over 20 digital learning organizations representing research, practice, innovation, and funding submitted six recommendations to the presidential Working Party on Education reforms. The task force, represented at this workshop by James Ong’ang’a, from Longhorn Publishing, tabled the following recommendations, three of which made it to the final report. 

    1. Strengthen the foundation for inclusive digital learning
    2. Augment the enabling policy environment for digital learning to occur
    3. Leverage technology to promote inclusion and enhance universal access to education
    4. Use technology to transform the way learning happens and improve learning outcomes
    5. Empower all learners with digital literacy skills to help them thrive in a digital workforce and society
    6. Increase and optimise EdTech financing

    CONCLUSION:

    Developing sustainable digital infrastructure and evidence-driven policy to support resilient learning in Kenya requires different actors to come together. The first is to create accessible digital infrastructure, with widespread internet connectivity and reliable power sources, to ensure that remote learning can thrive across the country. Policymakers should prioritize data collection and analysis to inform educational decisions, using evidence-based insights to tailor learning programs effectively.

    Furthermore, fostering partnerships with technology providers and educational institutions can help create innovative solutions for diverse learning needs. This cannot be done by an individual institution and EdTech creates an avenue where different players come together to discuss how best to achieve this for learners in Kenya.