Opposition team vows to scrap school laptop project

Principal Secretary Ministry of Information, Communication, & Technology Sammy Itemere with Standard one pupils of Kendele primary school in Kisumu county while testing the Digital Literacy Learning tablets on April 6 2017. The government is set to spend sh.13.4 billion to boost digital literacy programme across the country. PIC BY COLLINS ODUOR

The Opposition coalition has vowed to scrap the school laptops project implemented by the Jubilee government if it wins power.

Instead, the National Super Alliance (NASA) plans to redirect the money towards building computer laboratories and libraries in schools.

In the next financial year, Jubilee has set aside Sh13 billion to implement the digital literacy programme.

NASA has also promised to employ at least 20,000 teachers annually to meet the target of 90,000 in five years.

In their manifesto, NASA leaders say they will improve enrolment in primary schools, provide free secondary education, check school drop-out rates and devolve infrastructure development.

NASA has also pledged to expand school infrastructure and broaden teacher-training capacities to realise appropriate teacher-student ratios.

The coalition has also promised to end strikes that have continued to paralyse learning in schools.

NASA says it will implement a roadmap for harmonious resolution of such disputes through honest engagement.

The coalition says it will delegate school infrastructure development to counties and give conditional grants to facilitate the process.

NASA says that maximum transition to secondary schools has not been realised and promises to push this to near 100 per cent.

In their promise dubbed 'A Bright Future for Every Child', the coalition says education is the primary engine of both economic growth and social mobility.

"A society which makes quality education available to all is guaranteed equitable development. A society where quality education is the preserve of the rich undermines economic growth and guarantees itself inequality," reads the manifesto.

University and college graduates who have not repaid their higher education loans will not be required to have compliance certificates to access employment.

NASA has further promised to review Helb loan terms to remove the penalty requirement. It has also promised to progressively expand higher education loans to cover all post-secondary education institutions.

The coalition says considerable progress had been made in expanding access to higher education, particularly university education.

It promises to finance higher education infrastructure, including Public Private Partnership and education bonds. And each county will have a public university under a NASA government.

"NASA will also increase research funding for universities and strengthen linkages between university research and the socio-economic development of the counties where they are located," says the manifesto.