ICT Authority is rolling out a plan to connect all public schools with internet by using Kenya Power transmission lines.
The Information and Communication Technology ICT Authority is collaborating with Kenya Power, The Ministry of Energy and Communication Authority CA in a plan aimed at boosting learning and teaching.
Kenya Power has connected over 22,000 schools with power.
The authority will use the same infrastructure to stream fibre to all public learning institutions.
We estimate that we will have completed within two years. The Internet purchased by the government will be through the Kenya Education Cloud to make sure all the content is vetted, said Thomas Odhiambo, ICT Authority acting director of programmes and standards.
The internet penetration will capture villages of 10 million households, said Odhiambo.
This will ensure that we get the internet productivity that a nation can get, as well as blend learning and internet productivity. Internet penetration is essential for development, he said, noting that internet connectivity is crucial for growth in digital learning.
He said that the government has formed a special purpose vehicle with Etisalat in Fujairah to ensure that Kenya is connected.
Kenya gets its internet from Fujairah. We will get all the internet we need to have access to. He said that there is a submarine cable from Mombasa to Fujairah that will bring all the internet we need.
The sub-counties distributing internet in Kenya have some 9,000 km of fibre, according to Odhiambo. He said that the 9,000 km of fibre are not enough.
He said DLP was the largest undertaking by the government in the world to deliver digital devices.
Odhiambo said the programme has won Kenya accolades around the world with many African countries, European and South American delegation pitching camp in the country to learn about the DLP.
In some schools, Grade One learners in Kenya are now learning to do tests using digital devices, he said.
The creativity you find in Kenya is amazing. Nobody would have imagined this would be possible. The government has done this when the internet comes to a country usually through submarine cables, and this has to be distributed, said Mr Odhiambo.
This fibre is used by the government and private sector to offer you the services you enjoy, including mobile connectivity. As Kenya moves to blended learning and hybrid classrooms, stakeholders' engagement and involvement is critical, according to the ICT Authority acting director programmes and standards.
We thought it was just buying a laptop or tablet and taking it to school. Before you take a device to school you need electrical power, a teacher, content and other stakeholders mean Ministry of Education, that of Energy, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development KICD parents you need everybody, including parents, said Mr Odhiambo.