Sunday, July 21, 2013

Jitters as govt mulls tablet option over laptop project

Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi addresses journalists at a past event. Though he had indicated at a parliamentary committee meeting last two weeks ago  that tablets were also being considered  Mr Kaimenyi told the Nation the idea has not been concluded
Education Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi addresses journalists at a past event. Though he had indicated at a parliamentary committee meeting two weeks ago that tablets were also being considered  Mr Kaimenyi told the Nation the idea has not been concluded. 
By JOHN NJAGI jnjagi@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Sunday, July 21  2013 at  20:10
A fresh plan to convert the government’s multibillion laptop project into a tablet project has caused jitters in government even as agents from foreign computer solution developers storm Nairobi to scout for the lucrative tender.
The government has set up a working committee to finalize the design of the solution even as it emerged that business speculators are making frantic efforts to convince the government to turn to tablet instead of laptops.
Plans to roll out the procurement process for the project are currently being finalized as assessment of various samples is conducted.
Government experts are currently developing the minimum specification requirements at the Innovation Center based at the Kenya Science Campus in Nairobi before the ministry of Education can float the tender.
Giant computer makers from Asia, America and Europe have enrolled local agents to help them in lobbying for the tender that will cost the government up to Sh15 billion.
Those pushing for the conversion of the project from laptops to tablets claim the government would save Sh8 billion while those opposing the idea argue that tablets have shorter lifespan and are more complex for the young learners.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof Jacob Kaimenyi has warned commercial speculators against scandalizing on-going plans to launch the laptop project promising a free and fair procurement process.
Though he had indicated at a parliamentary committee meeting last two weeks ago  that tablets were also being considered  Mr Kaimenyi told the Nation the idea has not been concluded.
A team of government IT experts are camping  at the Kenya Science-Innovation Center working  to come up with actual specifications on the solution to be imported  even as it emerged that the government planned to switch from the laptop to Ipad after considering durability questions.
“The idea of considering the Ipads is not final we are simply presenting it as an alternative in line with the growing technological demands which we must accept,” Prof Kaimenyi said.
The Sh15 billion projects will see over 450,000 laptops supplied to Kenyan schools to support learning in lower primary.
Some 6,000 schools have already been identified to benefit from the first phase of the project expected to kick off in the next four months.
“This matter is generating a lot of interest because of the money involved but we want to assure everybody that the process will be subjected to a clean tendering process,” Prof Kaimenyi said.
A team of government officials are scheduled to travel to India to conduct a market survey on the project before the tender is officially flouted.
“We have been asked to put focus on tablets. And we have advised that this will not work. If we are not careful then we are likely to get  ourselves into another scandal very similar to the Biometric Voter Registration scandal,” said a government official.
High placed and influential businessmen are partnering with major solution developers to win the tender which will also include huge supplies of solar panels and other components.
Speaking to the Nation an innovation manager leading the specification development Mr Barnabas Sang said that his team has collected several samples from India, Korea, United States of America, Rwanda and Peru which are currently being used to help design the best specifications for the Kenyan solution.
Mr Sang however denied that his team may have come into contact with representatives of the competing companies expected to fight for the deal when the tender is floated.
“We are trying to come up with the best specifications that will suit our needs. This will form the basis of evaluation. We have not engaged or met any manufacturers because for us our work is to design the specification,” said Mr Sang.
Meanwhile the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) is already working on a new digital curriculum to support the Laptop project.
The KICD has invited publishers to submit their materials for evaluation and approval in readiness for the arrival of the new learning gadgets.

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