The Samsung rollout of e-reader tablets and reading books to eight schools across the East African region has bolstered the education standards in those schools leading to improved intake for new learners and academic performance.
Four schools in Kenya, two each in Tanzania and Uganda respectively were the beneficiaries when 280 tablets loaded with curriculum-aligned e-readers to help develop the students’ language skills in both English and Kiswahili and 12,000 reading books were donated to boost education standards.
Gladys Waithaka, the head teacher of Kambi Primary School in Nyeri County, one of the recipients of the digital literacy programme, says her pupils had recorded tremendous improvements in class which she attributed to the smart library concept.
“Pupils in lower classes such as class one are now able to read and write stories confidently without teacher’s assistance; this is not a common practice in many public schools and we would like to commend this project for playing a pivotal role in pupils’ development and performance at this school,” Waithaka added.
Samsung East Africa Head of Consumer Electronics Samuel Odhiambo said the introduction of interactive technology in schools was intended to make learning more fun. “We also partnered with Longhorn Publishers to enable us develop content that goes a long way in enhancing learning outcomes for pupils,” he added.
E-learning is one of the key projects that Samsung drives to enhance the learning experience of pupils in the region. The integrated digital literacy program consists of learning software and real-time content sharing features that provide an opportunity for interactive engagement with both teachers and pupils. It is also specifically designed to address education challenges in rural areas.
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Other schools in Kenya that have benefited from this program include Kiptilit Primary School in Baringo County, Bamburi Primary School in Mombasa County and Emusire Primary School in Vihiga County which have recorded great progress in education standards. So far 33 Solar-Powered Internet Schools (SPIS), 27 e-Learning centres, 22 Smart Schools, and eight Digital Libraries have been established across Africa to address digital literacy challenges.
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