ICT Integration in education:
Sote ICT program first helps secondary schools to integrate ICT in their teaching and administration. We donate computers, laptops, projectors, smart boards, cameras among other equipment. We connect schools to internet and install Education management information system (EMIS) and eLearning software. We were the first and repeated customer of a young Kenyan startup JBS, the creators of EMIS that our 10 partner secondary schools use currently. We provide trainings on ICT integration in teaching and the use of EMIS. Some trained teachers mentor their colleagues in three neighboring primary schools that received equipment through our smaller ICT projects. So far we integrated ICT in ten secondary and three primary schools in Taita Taveta County.
Project-based learning and ICT Clubs:
We train secondary teachers in project-based learning and establish ICT Clubs in the second step. Students meet here weekly to work on practical assignments and own projects. Students elect their officials and communicate through video chats with other Kenyan and Slovak schools. Each year we organize joint school competitions. Our manual, regular communication and meetings guide teachers in their weekly ICT Club activities. But teachers don’t follow a strictly defined curriculum and are free to be creative and experiment. We support the clubs with mini-grants during the school year and expect teachers to deliver and share quality outputs of students. ICT Club members learn how to create business cards, brochures, videos, blogs and presentations of their practice companies.
SoteICT.
Sote ICT program is celebrating its 5th year now. Based on three consecutive projects of Slovak-Kenyan Cooperation for Modern Schools funded by Slovak Aid, the program expanded to five schools in 2012 and ten schools in 2013 and introduced the concept of practice companies. Pontis Foundation and Kenyan partners Kasigau Wildlife Trust manages the program. This year, we are opening a Start up Centre in Voi as well as expanding to Narok, home of the famous Maasai Mara.
We introduce the concept of training companies as the main activity of ICT Clubs. After students agree on the structure of their training companies and create basic documents, we register them in Practice Enterprise Network (PEN). The next goal is to help Kenyan students communicate and trade with other training companies and with their peers abroad. PEN International is based in Germany and currently has 42 member countries. In mentoring practice companies and training teachers, we cooperate with Slovak State Vocational Education Institute and strive together to gain full membership of Kenya in PEN International. The practice companies that prove constant high quality of outputs are referred for PEN certification. Also individual students are able to receive internationally accepted certificate of their “employment” in the practice company as a proof of certain basic skills needed for future employment.
Certified student practice companies:
Bringing Startups to Rural Schools in Kenya.
