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The Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), one of EI national affiliates, has announced that it applied for a television broadcasting license to provide educational content that has been missing from TV and radio, to assist teachers in providing students with better quality education.

TV channel to provide educational content

“Broadcasting to schools is a critical component of learning and a big equalizer, especially in remote areas suffering teacher shortages, as well as lack of equipment,” stated KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion. “As soon as digital migration takes off, we will also ask for a channel through which we will be able to bring education content, as licensed stations currently, except KBC, are neglecting this subject,” said Sossion.

The KNUT leader also said that teachers play a critical role in shaping the social ethics and values which are currently quickly eroding. He added that the teaching profession has for decades been an important player in the media industry.

Sossion went on to state that the implementation of various ICT upgrading plans in the educational sector requires close partnership between his union and the relevant ministries to discuss, among others things, how KNUT members can receive needed training.

“All teachers who have left teacher training colleges since 2006 have already been equipped with the right skills, but we will require assistance for the rest of them, especially with regard to ICT integration in schools, use of free WiFi and other projects underway,” he said.

Kenya's ICT Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i also approved the inclusion of teacher unions’ representatives in various boards in the Ministry, including the Multimedia Appeal Tribunal and other administrative agencies, under the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Act.

“The future holds a lot for the education sector and personally I foresee a wall-less classroom where content can be accessed from everywhere whether from a matatu(minibus) or from a farm somewhere in rural Kenya,” said Matiang'i.

ICT and quality education

“New information and communication technologies (ICT) provide exciting possibilities to enhance the quality of education,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “These tools provide a rich and powerful resource for teachers to assist them with the teaching and learning processes and the interaction with students.”

Nevertheless, one must not forget that a well-trained and qualified teacher is the best tool to provide quality education and nurture younger generations, he reiterated. According to him, these new technologies are best used as supplements to, and not replacements for, teacher led learning.

“The use of ICT in education therefore requires reflection on and improvement of teacher training and development programs, curricula, teachers’ workload and education institutions’ infrastructure,” he highlighted.