Laptop for schools becoming a reality;

[RV Pundit]

• Tweet

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000196520/150-public-schools-to-get-laptops-in-may?articleID=2000196520&story_title=150-public-schools-in-kenya-to-get-laptops-in-may&pageNo=2

[gout]

There is need to consider the private schools especially in urban slums. These poor children need to benefit from this revolutionary social transformation. Private entities such as Bridge Academy need to be treated as allies in our education system by govt.

[RV Pundit]

I think private schools will soon make it mandatory; these gadgets are cheap; these small spec laptops should cost around 10k; and parents who take their kids to private schools can afford this. Bridge and other NGO funded school can easily find donor funding for this.

There is need to consider the private schools especially in urban slums. These poor children need to benefit from this revolutionary social transformation. Private entities such as Bridge Academy need to be treated as allies in our education system by govt.

[RV Pundit]

The first school get the laptops.
http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Kajiado-school-the-first-to-receive-Class-One-laptops/-/539546/3149082/-/eg3kl6/-/index.html

[Nefertiti]

The point is bit by bit textbooks will be history and all learning will be digital. Think 90% digital literacy in 10 years. Expect more e-learning, open university, e-commerce, e-gov, e-xyz...  big digital boom, economic efficiency and GDP impact. Current online businesses are achieved by folks who accessed computers first time at high school and majority college. The potential is enormous.

[RV Pundit]

Excellent summary of this audacious dream by Jubilee. This will pay off BIG TIME.

The point is bit by bit textbooks will be history and all learning will be digital. Think 90% digital literacy in 10 years. Expect more e-learning, open university, e-commerce, e-gov, e-xyz...  big digital boom, economic efficiency and GDP impact. Current online businesses are achieved by folks who accessed computers first time at high school and majority college. The potential is enormous.

[Nefertiti]

We will need critical mass digital literacy. Otherwise we remain stuck with inefficient economy. Technology evens the scales for everyone. Ever wondered why, while Google and Safaricom both launched in '98, Google spin off into multiple sectors under Alphabet Inc - search & ads, biotech, energy, spacetech, name it. Safaricom is stubbornly stuck with ringtones & mpesa. They just open more agent kiosks and call it growth... takes years to open mpesa API to app developers. Bure kabisa.

Safaricom value $ 2.5B... Google value $ 150B

So basically our top blue chip is a tortoise. That is the dramatic  difference you get with low literacy and lack of human capital in key sectors like tech and media. 60-70X growth slag.

We want 20yo billionaires like FB. RVP blew his chance churning apps for NGOs 

[Nefertiti]

Pundit you know you don't have to shy away from this digital gem just because I mock your underachievement. Your boy Ruto will have to run with digital to bag the independents (read youth) in 2022.

Digital once unwrapped will unleash more startups ala Silicon Plateau (Bangalore). Once that happens, capitalflow will spike and challenge the status quo of Safaricom, etc who are only top of the mediocre class. Real change will spur/attract serious talent on top of big money. You note Microsoft, Google, etc have hired Asians to face up to emerging markets. That is indicator of Indian/Asian economic maturity. Once serious talent ship in, below average Safaricom/Equity/etc will lose bragging rights.

I know it is not a square comparison, but performance comes down to ecosystem, culture, etc. Bob Collymore admits in conferences and workshops that local businesses are not visionary or innovative enough. That is an understatement. The world is flat and revenue, customer growth curves say it all. Whatsapp/Facebook have 1Billion customers while Equity/Safaricom brag about 10/20M If you look closer, although strategy is confidential, the organization structure and manpower tell you alot.

Safaricom Mpesa has a Director (senior manager) who reports to CEO. Equitel has automous company with a board, chairman and team stuffed by topdogs. Basically if you check the teams and org structure under Dr James Mwangi vs Bob... calibre difference says it all.

That is one on mangoes vs mangoes. Across the ocean, where you have Google Fellows, Apple Fellows, Microsoft MVPs, etc -- this is a culture that nurturers and rewards top talent. One can be an executive-perk celebrity engineer. In Safaricom and local corporates the only way a techie gets the perks is to be a manager i.e. stop the techie stuff. Bye bye engineering and innovation

There is more systemic stuff that a level playing field disrupts. Dinosaur traits like 5yr Mpesa API hoax, or Barclays long queues... simply shape up or ship out.

When Nairobi becomes synonymous with SILICON SAVANNAH it is a done deal. Did you say leapfrog? India and Nigeria took up Bollywood/Nollywood and reaped big. Kenya must run away with the digital ball. Presently the "regional hub" brand is as hollow as London "financial hub" while Germany reigns supreme.

[RV Pundit]

Interesting. Yeah we don't have companies yet who are thinking global. Most of our companies though are starting to think regional (Eastern Africa). Safaricom is shackled by Vodafone. If it wings were free like Airtel , Econet and MTN then we would have had first global MNC out of Nairobi. For now look no further than MTN..to see the missed opportunities...MTN operates in 3 continents I think.

[Globalcitizen12]

first upgrade the teachers in primary schools. we need graduates to be principals and all teachers to have a degree in education and no less. I am really schocked at how poaching of good teachers by private schools has left public schools with less qualified unmotivated teachers. Wages have come down tremendously in USA and jobs are coming back from India because companies. BPOs market onge, all those pipe dreams of a digital Kenya are just that dreams of the elites. We need to industrialize and then think digital. Uhuru was to industrialize Kenya any updates on this?

[gout]

http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000200542/laptop-dream-becomes-a-reality-for-11-500-pupils-across-kenya