KEPSA Closes The Digital Divide For Young Learners In Kenya

The Kenya Private Schools Association (KEPSA), has launched a virtual platform to enable learners to get access to educational materials from a single platform.

Dubbed Virtual School, the KEPSA platform seeks to ensure that teaching and learning in private schools continue amid the covid-19 pandemic.

“The plan is to close the digital divide by ensuring online learning for the poorest students and put some money in the teachers’ pockets,” said Mutheu Kasanga, KEPSA Chairperson. “It comes as a relief to the 11,600 private schools across the country that were facing total shut down as they struggled to pay tutors, rents, and overhead costs.”

The KEPSA launch of the nationwide virtual school was done in partnership with Absa Bank under the initiative Masomo Iendelee, Linda Mwalimu. Prior to this, schools were using numerous virtual platforms to engage the more than 2.4 million learners, some of which are expensive and unreliable.

The association has also partnered with the digital education system and content provider EduVOD to activate the virtual schools, provide content and training to teachers.

The initiative will run concurrently with the government’s Community Learning Initiative that will involve teachers employed by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC).

KEPSA notes that it will not dictate how much the private schools charge parents to use the platform, but assures the charges will be friendly.

“It is an open platform meaning that the schools can admit learners from anywhere across the country and they can also open several campuses,” said KEPSA chief executive Peter Ndoro in conclusion.

President Uhuru Kenyatta closed schools indefinitely in March after Kenya confirmed covid-19 cases within its borders. Learning has since been affected as students are supposed to acquire skills online what has been faced by a myriad of challenges.