“This ICT Sports Day Challenge is about creating awareness about the urgent need to use ICTs in education in Uganda.”
Ms Juliet Namuddu, Director, Education and Social Services, Kampala Capital City Authority
Just as school sports days around the country have incorporated tree planting competition in their day’s activities to bring environmental awareness to the fore so have we the ICT Sports Day Challenge to bring to light the importance of integrating ICTs in education.
ICT is the Information and Communication Technologies. “ICTs in Education” means “Teaching and Learning with ICTs”
ICTs in education are a 21st century necessity to impart upon our children the ability to create,research, communicate, inform and collaborate using digital platforms.
On the 9th of June 2016, the Second African Ministerial Forum on the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in education and training under the theme: ‘Advancing inclusive knowledge societies in Africa to implement Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the SDGs’ concluded that it is urgent to accelerate ICT integration in education and training to develop 21st century skills, advance knowledge society and achieve Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Among the many action points agreed upon were these most relevant to our work;
1- To create an enabling environment for fostering partnerships to accelerate the implementation of ICT integration in education and training systems.
This, we are already doing in partnering with Kampala Capital City Authority to meet action point number 2 which is;
2- To accelerate the use of ICT to offer all learners an equal opportunity to access quality education. Check out; http://todidea.com/partnership-with-kcca-to-scale-ict-skills-in-primary-schools-in-kampala/
How it works!
During the week preceding the sport’s day, children from different classes take part in “mental marathons” on the EduTab. They do tests in spelling and mental maths using Apps on the EduTab that deliver instant feedback of their performance.
On the Sports day itself, winners are offered free ICT lessons during the next term and take home certificates of participation. This is done with a lot of fan fare whilst someone from The TOD Idea ltd is given 5-10minutes to evangelise about the need for parents, teachers, government officials and children to embrace ICTs in education.
In July, we run our maiden ICT Sports day challenge at Atlas Junior Academy, Lugoba, Nabweru, Wakiso District. The item was well received and resulted in many parents and teachers engaging with the TOD Idea team present at the sports ground to find out more about ICT in education.
Challenges and Opportunities:
Opportunity lies in collaboration with government and non governmental organisations with the ministry of sports and education to scale this ICT Sports day challenge. Advocacy is our only weapon against ignorance about ICTs which is hampering our progress towards bridging the digital divide.
Our major challenge is looking for sponsors who would assist us to give EduTabs as gifts to winners in schools where we aren’t running ICT clubs and can’t therefore give free lessons as an incentive. Even the free ICT lessons present a loss in revenue for us as a company and therefore a sponsor to help meet these costs would go a long way.