ICT Challenges in Education Sector In Kenya

 

ICT in Kenya

ICT has been one of the sectors growing at an alarming rate over the past 10 years In Kenya , it has made an impact in the world of communication and development. 10 Years ago communication depended on face to face communication, today things are very different, you only need your mobile phone, a computer or any other communication device to send/receive a message from anywhere in the world only by pressing a button.
What is ICT?
       ICT stands for Information Communication Technology, it is often used as an extended synonym or an umbrella for IT(information Technology),  but this is a broad term that stresses the  role of unified communications and integration of telecommunications( telephone lines and wireless signals), computers as well as necessary enterprise software, middle-ware, storage, and audio-visual systems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information.
     ICT have been widely used in the education sector to better the success of scholars,  this includes use of projectors and e-learning which has been  widely used by institutions of higher learning.

Common ICT challenges in Education Sector in Kenya
Despite the positive impacts that ICT has brought in the community, there have been challenges hindering it's success in the education sector, some of the challenges are:

1. Lack of qualified teachers to teach ICT in schools.
2. Lack of computers.
3. Lack of electricity to power the computers.
4. High cost of computers in Kenya.
5. Broken down computers and delays in repairing them.
6. Burglary of computer hardware.
7. Fear of the computer administration. Most school heads think that maintaining computers is hard and expensive. They fear failing to be able to maintain the computer labs
8. Lack of internet or slow and poor network connectivity.
9. Lack of initiative by the community leaders. The computer projects need passionate individuals to drive them.
10. Obsolete and sub-standard computers being introduced in schools.
11. Increased moral degradation through web and internet. Parents and teachers fear introduction of computers might open up immorality like pornography.

These are some of the challenges that has faced the education sector in Kenya, they need to be curbed by ICT officials in Kenya for better chances of success in the ICT sector.

By Biffon Momanyi, Information Scientist, Moi University,Kenya.