Government Reveals Why the 'One Laptop Per Child' Project Will Not Happen

The government has today Monday, unveiled a new programme that will replace the 'one laptop per child' project for Kenyan primary schools.

The re-branded project which is said to be more integrated is referred to as the Digital Literacy Programme.

Speaking during the announcing of the new programme, ICT cabinet secretary Fred Matiang'i has said the former 'one laptop per child' project is no longer feasible.

The ICT CS has further said all human and financial resources, will be redirected to make sure the Digital Literacy Project is successful within the next 18 months.

The programme, a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta, will be steered by a full-time inter-ministerial secretariat encompassing six ministries and stakeholders in the education sector, Citizen Digital reports.

Matiang'i has expressed optimism with the project noting that the development of digital content by the  Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development is ongoing adding that 87% of public schools have already been connected to power supply with the remaining schools expected to be connected by the end of this year.

The government has also put in place adequate training of teachers on the usage of ICT as well as availability of accessing the digital content through multiple platforms.

The laptop project which is a flagship project for the Jubilee administration, has in the past been faulted with various stakeholders expressing concerns that the project should not be a priority.