Digitising education on course

Dar es Salaam. A total of 3,000 teachers have received special training to equip them with the digital literacy needed to instruct students outside of the classroom when the setting does not permit them to congregate. This is done to make sure that teachers are able to get past shocks like Covid-19 and learn how to use computers and offer lessons online.

The Dar es Salaam Teknohama Business Incubator (DTBi) Fursa Lab project, has been on a mission to impart teachers with digital skills to help curb the digital divide that is normally experienced during unprecedented situations.

This initiative supports the journey that the government through the ministry of Education, Science and Technology has already started; digitising the education sector and equipping schools and teachers’ colleges with IT equipment.

The government wants teachers to be knowledgeable about digital technology before they start teaching children.

Currently, experts hold the opinion that some teachers still do not fully comprehend how to use digital tools in the classroom. As a result, through the Fursa Lab project, DTBi has trained about 3,000 primary and secondary schools’ teachers to, among other things, enable them to teach many students at the same time when necessary to even mitigate challenges of teacher-students ratio.

Recently, the government declared its aim to begin a technological revolution in educational institutions and bring them in line with modern digital aspirations, and increase their resilience against catastrophes like Covid-19.

Project manager of the DTBi Fursa Lab, Mr Michael Thomas, made the statement yesterday at the end of a training series that benefited 80 teachers from five districts in Dar es Salaam. He said the training had been conducted in collaboration among DTBi, airtel, Irish Aid and The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

He noted that the training was part of the Africa Code Week marked every year to raise awareness of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as critical for educational advancements.

“Our target is to reach as many teachers as we can to ensure that the digital skills are scaled up to other parts of the country,” he told The Citizen in an interview.

He, however, admitted that lack of infrastructure has been one of the major setbacks in efforts to roll out ICT training in all primary and secondary schools in the country.

He said since the programme started in 2017, it has been conducted in Morogoro, Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Ms Nuru Ismail Juba, a trainer at DTBi, said the training aimed at building capacity for teachers to teach students how to use modern ways of learning including scratch applications.

She said the Africa Code Week is implemented in between 34 to 50 countries in Africa. Kambangwa Secondary School teacher in Kinondoni district council, Mr Omary Mhina said the knowledge will enable him to teach students practically and make them ready for digital transformation which is the country’s goal.

Also, the training will enable teachers to equip students with computers, innovations and digital skills.

“For students to become more aware and creative, teachers need to concentrate on practical skills,” he said.

Ms Flora Simon, from Lieberman Primary School in Mbezi Beach, Dar es Salaam said that digital skills will enable her to reach many students and make teaching easier.

“We empower students with digital skills to enable them to use computers to come up with solutions,” she said.

Africa Code Week is an initiative that teaches digital literacy and coding skills to young people, working closely with private, public and non-profit partners across Africa. 

It empowers young women and men in ICT technology and ICT related skills, enabling them to engage better in a digitally connected society.

The project uses a ‘train-the-trainer’ model, which has supported trainers in the country since the initiative was launched.