Dorcas Wepukhulu
Saide’s African Storybook Initiative recently supported the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) to select 170 of our storybook titles in Kiswahili and English for the Kenyan government’s Digital Literacy Programme (DLP) which aims to introduce digital technologies to children in public primary schools by providing tablets to schools loaded with the selected stories. Read more.
After much delay, Lolupe Primary School, with whom we have worked closely through the African Storybook project were excited to finally receive their tablets. Teacher, Simon Ipoo provides the following feedback:
It was a relatively ordinary school day with pupils and teachers busy with their school activities when suddenly ISUZU lorry drove into the school yard and parked in front of the school store.
Two gentlemen alighted and walked to the head teacher’s office. Anxiety gripped the entire school community as to what the lorry had delivered.
Moments later, the assembly bell rung and the head teacher addressed the anxious assembly amid cheers of excitement and happiness. “At last, the government had finally honoured the pledge”.
Lolupe Primary School took delivery of 54 tablets and 2 laptops for teachers, that are a game changer in literacy activities among the learners. Besides the installed classroom management software, the tablets also contain 77 ASb English and Kiswahili readers that are quality assured by KICD for learners to use for literacy activities.
The book titles include; Palm tree, Ng'amorutung'a, and Akai’s special mat, which learners from Turkana can easily relate too.
No one wanted to be left out of the demonstration class organised after tablet delivery. They have experience of enjoying reading using the projector and hardcopy storybooks and now they can do individual reading of unlimited soft copy readers on a tablet.
Learners enjoyed this experience of digital reading, wide ACCESS, wide VARIETY and more FUN.To date the schools that have received tablets include: Loturerei, Kakwanyang, Locher-esekon, Natoot and Napuu. All these are beneficiaries of the Lolupe library lending and borrowing programme.
As more schools receive their tablets, more African Storybook books will be made accessible to the children. The Initiative will also raise more awareness of the materials on the ASb website among schools.