DigiSchool Kenya
The DigiSchool Connectivity Project was a comprehensive initiative led by Kenya's Ministry of Education and ICT Authority in partnership with UNESCO and Huawei. The project aimed to support the Kenyan government's vision of integrating ICT into education by providing reliable internet connectivity to schools across the country. The initiative was implemented in two phases: the first phase (2020-2021) connected 13 schools with fast, reliable internet, benefiting approximately 6,000 learners. Following the success of the initial phase, the project expanded in its second phase (completed in 2024) to connect an additional 21 schools to broadband, including six schools for children with special educational needs.
The project utilized Huawei's all-optical access and FTTR-B solutions to enable high-quality Wi-Fi connections that support online courses and live video classes. For the special education schools, video conferencing equipment was provided with support from the Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE), enabling remote learning and teacher training. The initiative has become a model for school connectivity in Kenya, with its best practices documented in the Internet Connectivity to Schools evaluation report published by Kenya's Ministry of Education.
Pros
Provided fast, reliable internet connectivity to 34 schools across Kenya, including 6 special education schools
Enabled access to digital learning resources and online courses for thousands of students
Facilitated remote learning and teacher training through video conferencing equipment
Supported STEM education and mentoring for girls through UNESCO's expertise
Utilized existing infrastructure (government fiber-optic network NOFBI and electricity poles) to reduce deployment costs
Created a documented model of best practices for future school connectivity projects
Cons
Limited scale compared to the total number of schools in Kenya
Potential sustainability challenges after initial implementation period
Possible digital divide between connected and non-connected schools
Requires ongoing investment in teacher training and digital skills development
Partners
Kenya's Ministry of Education
Kenya ICT Authority
UNESCO
Huawei
Kenya Institute of Special Education (KISE)
Kenya Power & Lighting Company