The agony of online course application for those in remote areas

When we meet in the campuses and all look academic giants, we rarely take note of how some of us landed in the campus. Have you ever wondered how those from the most interior and the remotest parts of the country get through the process of course applications and admission? If you haven't, it's not your fault. You were brought up in a technological hub. However, there are those who come from the deserts of technology and communication. To them, the whole process is a hell by itself.  
Access to information is by struggle. In most of these areas, Internet support is only by phones. Charging the phones is a havoc by itself. With this in mind, having the up to date mobile phones with 4G and 3G network is nearly criminal.  
To many of these members of our Republic from the remote areas, once they are through with their form four examination, they don't know what next. When the results are out and they get their value as per yester year's exam, the agony of what next, now begin. Those who attain the minimum university entry suffer more. And those who meet the KUCCPS cutoff points suffer most. The whole process of application is an illusion. To many, they think that having have gotten the required grade, they will simply and automatically receive a letter to a public university. When it dawns to them that they have to apply, the second phase of walk into the unknown begins.  
The information on courses available for them is really scanty to many. To majority of the of the campus students to be, what they would like to be in their career may not yet be defined. In addition, the information on the various careers they can enroll into is not available for them.

In the deep of the interiors where their career people are just coming up, and there are very few people to act as their role models, career choice becomes the toughest hurdle for these young stars to jump. In many deep interior villages, the only career people available for guidance and copying are the teachers, nurses and clinical officers in the nearby dispensary if any and local administrators :the chief and sub chief.  
This how many of my village top performers have become teachers. A noble career if not a calling. The choice is always limited for them.  
Once the choice is made, the third hurdle is ready for jumping. The online thing is hell to the village. When to apply is a problem by itself. How to apply is bigger than the meaning of the word problem. This is how, I, a local teacher who beat his way to become a university student through the self-sponsored program (ssp) as we called it, has become a consultant in the village. During my time, those who made it to JAB did manual revision. As for me, I traveled to the university and made my application. I remember when I came back after few marathon years in campus, it was all online. More to it, the village was celebrating the first batch of students to JAB. All including those from the neighborhood streamed to my home.  
"Please help me calculate my cluster points." Do I know? Definitely no.  
"Which courses should I apply?" They were right to ask me for I had interacted with many on the university. However, I had not taken any keen interest on other courses.  I couldn't advise on courses that even I can't tell where one can secure a job or what you can do for yourself with the degree.  
"Take us onto that online thing and help us apply" I also didn't know the website but I had to google it and prove myself. The applications went through. And so it has been for these four years.  
The fourth hurdle is to keep yourself updated to know when the second revision is and later, where they have been posted, how to receive their letters and the dates of reporting to their respective campuses.  
HELB, though a financial relief, also causes headache. To many of the freshers, HELB and the government subsidy are one and the same thing. To others, they don't know when to apply. This way, some start applying in the second year. To others also, HELB is compulsory. The online thing once again comes hunting them. By this time, at least the spirit has a familiar face. This time in campus, there are several who specialize in helping them fill the forms at a pay.  
These people are placed in special corners of their hearts.  
 These days also, the generation latest is using android phones and can't get near mulika mwizi as was three years ago.  
So, this year, with latest technological development, I couldn't expect anybody of the current generation to be in the dark. So, with only one from my village qualifying this year, I knew there will be competition of who to guide her through the process.  
It was not until the last week of revision that I saw her somewhere and decided to enquire just for the sake. I was shocked to note that since she had made application in the high school, she wasn't aware that revision was necessary. On top of this, she didn't know anything like a deadline. All she waited for was a letter of admission to a public university. We hit the ground running and secured a place in one of the universities.  
I have always kept her updated until I got too busy the last days of July and now this August. However, today I remembered it. I wished to know whether she has received her letter of invitation. Just before asking her, I decided to confirm the release of the letters with the university. I logged into their website and oh, there was a notice dating back to July.  
"Please generate your admission letter using the link below." "Download form A....... "
" All students must report on 29th August 2016" so, it is 25th August 2016.  
I simply copied the notice and sent it through sms.  
She was like, "why didn't you tell me early?"  
And I was like, "why didn't you remind me?" For sure you know I can't ask her that.  
She is reporting on Monday 29th August.

As you campus veterans take unto scramble and partition of freshers, note some have come from far. Not just in miles between home and campus, but the technological distance walked between KCSE and the first week of admission might be longer than the academic distance between admission and graduation. Holding all other factors constant, in campus, we are equal. The top brains of our society.  

 However, with the current rates of rural electrification, access to Internet increase and with nearly all mobile phones supporting Internet, there is a big ray of light at the end of the tunnel.  
I hope next year things will be different because at least the jubilee tablets will be over the children. The children will therefore help their sisters and brothers apply for courses.