Rwanda is targeting over 2.5 million primary pupils to have acquired computer skills by the year 2020, Richard Niyonkuru, an official from the ministry of Education has said.

Niyonkuru was speaking to The New Times in an interview recently at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) on the occasion to mark the end of a five-day computer training session for primary teachers.

At least 65 teachers from three primary schools of Rwamagana Primary School, Eastern Province, Nonko Primary School and Kagugu Primary School, both in Kigali urban province, successfully completed the training.

The teachers were trained on how to use the specialised laptop computer OLPC XO-1 programmed for children. OLPC XO-1 has a 1 GB NAND flash drive and 256 MB of memory.

The laptop uses graphical user interface - a friendlier computer window for children from pre-primary to upper primary.

At least 10,000 OLPC XO-1 computers have been donated to Rwanda by One Laptop-per Child-Computer/Education Project.

"Rwanda focuses on having a knowledge-based economy by the year 2020 and education is the best element to contribute towards this,” Niyonkuru said.

He said it is also an opportunity to facilitate pupils from underprivileged families to have access. to computer.

He revealed that the ministry of Education is looking for possibilities of including the primary education curriculum in these new laptops.

David Cavallo, the Vice President of the project, said that it aims at improving education using technology.

Simon-Pierre Habiyaremye, a primary three teacher at Kagugu Primary School, said that  these laptops will help in improving pupils’ computer literacy since its windows programme is simple for any child.

According to Niyonkuru, the computer is resistant to hard knocks, dust and hot weather. Other features of the laptop include power efficiency whose battery life can last longer compared to most computers.

It has no database but has wireless connection and a network called Mesh network, an in-built Local Area Network that allows the user to access another computer in the same locality.

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