Integration of ICT solution in schools

In this 21st Century, which many refer to as an era of science and technology, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a big role in people’s lives. Nowadays, our lives are so attached to ICT to the extent that we feel we are part and parcel of technology.

The use of internet for instance, via cellular phones and computers, helps to equip people with an important tool of communication that breaks all sorts of barriers. Indeed our lives have been made much easier with Internet, bringing a thought of how difficult life would be without technology. In the education sector, for example, ICT plays a very crucial role in offering easy access to knowledge; information and communication.

As the saying goes, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. The government has seen this and now it has embarked on a comprehensive programme to impart ICT knowledge to primary school pupils. In applying the technology into educational activities, the government last week launched an e-learning programme for primary schools.

The programme was launched by the permanent secretary in the ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Prof Sifuni Mchome, during an ICT exhibition held at the Julius Nyerere Convectional Centre in Dar es Salaam.

Prof Mchome is convinced that Tanzania could not escape from the fact that the world is becoming increasingly digital and called for all education stakeholders to seize opportunities ICT offers in the sector.

Speaking with Success, Mr Ayoub Sanga, a lecturer from the University of Dodoma (Udom) says despite efforts by the government to enhance education by use of Information and Communication Technologies in primary schools, the country still has a long way to go.

Available data shows that only 3,334 out of 16,343 primary schools, both public and private, have reliable access to information technology and apply ICT in teaching.

This accounts for only 20 per cent of the total number of primary schools which have managed to use ICT in their teaching curriculum since the programme was first introduced in the country in early 2000.

“The statistics show us that the use of ICTs to enhance education in our primary schools is still very low. And this is mainly due to unreliable electricity as well as lack of power in most rural. Poor ICT skills is one of the obstacles that render application of technology in our schools difficult,” says Mr Ayoub.

According to Mr Ayoub, the programme aims at enhancing primary school teachers and pupils in engaging with e-content on literacy and numeracy. During his presentation at the exhibition Mr Ayoub told education stakeholders that Udom has come up with a solution to help enhance education by using ICT in primary schools in the country through a programme called ‘Edmodo learning management system’.

According to him, Edmodo was designed by Jeff O’Hara and Nic Borg in 2008 and it is available at www.edmodo.com.

It doesn’t require a server for its management and it can be used through a computer, smartphone or tablet connected to the internet. The programme is a free and secure educational learning platform which provides a simple way for teachers to create and manage an online classroom community.

By July 2015 it had over 51 million users all over the world.

“It allows teachers to connect and work with their students anywhere and anytime. The model was tested among different teachers in Tanzania as a professional development model on the use of ICT to enhance teaching and learning (reading, writing and arithmetic),” he explains.

The establishment of the Edmodo Learning Management System (ELMS) programme was inspired by a number of increasing concerns among primary school teachers and recommendations from research reports which show that the use of ICT among primary school teachers in Tanzania is in a dilemma. Teachers are teaching in the same way because of ineffective use of ICT.

Mr Placidius Ndibalema, also a lecturer from Udom, says the objective of Edmodo is to build teachers’ capacity on how to engage with e-content with their pupils in primary schools.

According to him, the programme raises awareness among pupils on the use of ICT and helps to orient teachers on enhancing the use of ICT in schools.

“It also provides e-content delivery system in early grade –classrooms and provides the means of sharing of information from researchers to practitioners,” explains Mr Ndibalema.

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