Kenya MPs commend Rwanda’s One Laptop per Child programme

A team of Kenyan parliamentarians has commended the Government for its implementation of the One Laptop per Child programme. The delegation of 30 parliamentarians, on a study tour to Rwanda to understand the one laptop per child concept, yesterday visited Gahini Primary School in Kayonza District. The school is one of the schools where the programme was implemented.While addressing the media shortly after the tour, Julius K. Melly, the Chairman of Education Committee in the Kenyan parliament and leader of the delegation, said their visit was timely, adding that Kenya was planning to start a similar programme early 2014.The delegation was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Education and Eastern Province Governor Odette Uwamariya.“The purpose of this study tour is to borrow a leaf from Rwanda’s experience. It is very interesting to see how Rwanda is progressing with the programme. We want to join the digital world with an initial investment of Ksh15 billion (Rwf118 billion) next year,” he said.Meeting the needs “We have been preparing for the practicability of the one laptop per child programme for quite some time now. If it can work in Rwanda, it can in Kenya too”.Rwanda has extended the programme to every sector and there are plans to introduce the programme in every school across the country.Patrick Mugabo, the in charge of supplying the laptops in Rwanda, said that most public schools had access to the laptops already.“We have distributed at least 204,000 laptops to 408 public schools. There are also other laptops distributed through private initiatives so the trend is promising,” he said.Each laptop cost at least $200 (Rwf120,000)

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Kenya MPs commend Rwanda’s One Laptop per Child programme