Six primary schools receive digital libraries

Students from Enkereri Primary School in Maasai Mara display their e-readers that were donated by American philanthropist over the weekend. Six primary schools from the Mara region in Narok County have benefited from Sh100 million digital libraries donation. (Photo by CHARLES NGENO/STANDARD)

Pupils from six primary schools in the Mara region have benefited from a Sh100 million digital library donation.

According to the organisers, Anna Hall made the donation as a way of encouraging pupils from the Mara access reading materials.

Speaking when she presented the e-Readers, also known as Kindles, to the schools at Enkereri Primary School last Saturday, Programme's Co-ordinator Sarah Liaram said they hadbeen loaded with hundreds of Kenyan textbooks in English and Kiswahili.

They also have stories for primary school children that have been approved by the Ministry of Education.

"The programme is informed by the lack of textbooks among pupils in our schools. We are optimistic that this will improve the literacy level in this community," said Ms Liaram.

The benefiting schools are Enkereri, Olopikidongoe, Mararianda, Sikinani, Naroosura and Kanunga.

She said the programme that is jointly sponsored by Abercrombie and Kent, which owns the Olonan Sanctuary, aims at making education accessible to more school-going children.

"Textbooks continue to be more expensive, and the only way out for pupils from poor backgrounds is the e-Readers. They cannot be torn and are easy to ferry from home to school," said Liaram.

She challenged the pupils to utilise the e-Readers so as to excel in their studies.

"You are lucky to have received these e-Readers and the only way to appreciate is to work extra hard. You can now compete with your colleagues in well-equipped schools," she said.

Liaram revealed that each school would receive 50 kindles, with each of them loaded with 250 books.