Government spends Sh27billion in Digital Literacy Programme

The government has so far spent Sh27 billion in the Digital Literacy Programme in the Country, the Director Information Communication Technology Authority Programmes and standards Dr.Kipronoh Rono has said.

The officer who was updating the Senate and National Assembly committee on ICT on the progress made by the government on DLP observed that the cost incurred would have been much higher had the gadgets been imported.

Dr. Rono further said that ICT Authority in collaboration with Moi University have set up a plant at Rivatex in Eldoret where they produce, service, repair and replace the DLP, where they have so far assembled over 80,000 gadgets in the past four years.

Speaking during a tour of the Rivatex factory, the director noted that the plant has a working staff of 102 highly trained staff producing over 1250 devices every working day.

“We are happy with the progress being made here,” Enock Wambua Senator for Machakos County said.

He however regretted that on inspection in schools it was revealed that most of the laptops were unused due to lack of trained staff and electricity connectivity in most of schools in the country.

DigiSchool is the brand name for the Digital Literacy Programme (DLP), a programme born out of the Government of Kenya’s vision to make sure every pupil is prepared for today’s digital world.

The programme introduces primary school children, beginning with those in lower primary, to the use of digital technology and communications in learning. DLP is targeted at learners in all public primary schools in Kenya and will cover all the 23,951 primary schools.