Morogoro schools go digital through ADSI program

Saturday, August 29, 2020 — updated on October 29, 2020 - 3 min read

The Deputy Chief Zonal School Quality Assurance for Eastern Zone, Dr. Emmanuel Laisser (left) hands over a certificate of recognition to Zainabu Kibiki who is a Board Member at Kilakala Secondary School in Morogoro for successfully completing the African Digital Schools Initiative (ADSI) training organized by Global e-schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for Morogoro selected government schools.

By The Citizen Reporter

Morogoro. Twenty public run secondary schools in Morogoro Region have been successfully integrated into ICT thanks to the African Digital Schools Initiative (ADSI) which was initiated in 2017.
This was confirmed during the just ended ADSI training and awards ceremony held in Morogoro and was organised by the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
The training brought together different stakeholders including school heads, board representatives, school based coordinators and representatives from the Ministry of education who deliberated on how best to further the ADSI program in terms of implementation even after it comes to an end in April 2021.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, the Deputy Chief Zonal School Quality Assurance for Eastern Zone, Dr. Emmanuel Laisser, lauded the ADSI project and called on the schools to embrace the ICT skills acquired through the program.
“You should be able to share this with schools and teachers who were not part of this project so that the knowledge can spread because this will greatly simplify the teachers work in terms of preparation and presentation as it involves the use of modern equipment such as computers, projectors where the teachers apply various programs online to prepare their materials before lessons,” he said.
He also called on beneficiaries to take good care of the equipment that was handed over to them through the ADSO project and use them appropriately given the fact that some teachers are still technology shy and only use them when they know there is an inspection going on.
The Morogoro Regional Academic Officer, Tullo Fundi stressed the government will ensure it continues from where ADSI will end to ensure that the benefits spread to other schools and teachers as well.
“It is sadly coming to an end in April but you who have been part of the program are a true testimony of its benefits and we as government will ensure we do everything possible to sustain it in various ways,” he added.
The Project Coordinator, Ramadhani Matimbwa said the program has greatly helped in turning secondary schools into digital schools of excellence and is designed specifically to build student 21st century skills, including in Science and Technology, English and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and teachers’ practice using ICT in a way that is responsive to the needs of knowledge economies and the work place.
He said by the end of the program, they will have reached over 400 teachers and 40 secondary schools in Morogoro and Pwani Regions.
Some of the beneficiaries, Athumai Kapate from Morogoro Secondary School and Jane Mtindya from Dakawa Secondary School admitted that the program has transformed teachers and students and made work easy.
“For a teacher like me who is living with a disability it is even much easier, I just go online, prepare my lessons and can present through the projector even while seated compared to the past when we had to use chalk which was quite tedious,” said Mr. Kapate.
The ADSI program is also under implementation in Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire and is fully funded by Mastercard Foundation, Canada.