The work on the ground begins! As the iMlango programme involves installing 1000’s of computers with high-speed satellite broadband connectivity in rural schools, the first hurdle to overcome was to document which schools had access to electricity and which schools didn’t.
Documenting this was a huge task in itself and involved visiting schools in the targeted counties, speaking to the teachers and understanding what issues they have, and the type of conditions that they have to work in. And as the programme involves large amounts of teacher engagement, we conducted a comprehensive survey to understand their level of IT literacy. Being able to understand how much teacher training would need to be carried out in the future was the key output to this survey – as without this, we would not be able to be sure how well the teachers would be able to correctly deliver the curriculum to the students once the programme had gone live in the schools.
Accessing the schools wasn’t always easy, or a smooth ride! The field team’s 4 x 4 was put through its paces as it got stuck in the mud on more than one occasion.
Until next time,
The iMlango Team