A giant international IT company Microsoft has entered partnership with Kenya library services (KNS) that has opened window of opportunities for hundreds of thousands of residents of North-Eastern region to acquire free computer and ICT skills.
The four years partnership project that started this month and dubbed Microsoft IT Academy (MSITA) targets thirty library centers in the country and aims to offer willing learners an opportunity to study computer skills from scratch to the highest professional level through online for free.
Speaking to your Authoritative Frontier Leaks at Garissa library during the recruitment of new students to the program, the area deputy Liberian Abdullahi Hassan Osman said since the partnership program was launched early this month about 30 students has so far registered for the courses with hundreds other expected to join in the next few days.
Under the program, he said the student takes their course through online after being offered a registration number to log in. "When someone is registered for the program as student, you receive a pin number that will allow you to access you account where you can access course materials" he said.
Osman said "This program is aimed at enhancing ICT skills and capacity building among library staffs and local communities by providing relevant, affordable and globally recognized IT training. Those who join the academy will study Ms Word, Excel, PowerPoint and all other computer applications that are must know in the today's world",
Kenya is the third country in Africa to benefit from the MISTA program. The other countries are Nigeria and Morocco, where the program is differently done through partnership with schools.
For one to qualify the applicant for the project only requires the willingness to undertake the course, national identity card and telephone number. Once successfully registered for the program, the students can study alone after provided with course and study instructions guide online.
He added "This program will promote foundation for lifelong learning building block for establish skills that individuals to be active in technological intensive environment and compete at far front of 21st century and global economic system",
The deputy Liberian said, the Garissa has well equipped ICT center with over 30 computers where the students who were coming from within the Garissa town can use to undertake the course with help of 10 library staff training on IT to help the help the students.
Other libraries in the region (North-Eastern) that is benefiting under the MISTA program are Mandera library in Mandera town and Habswein library in Wajir County.
He said, the ICT center at the library has two wings- men and ladies sections- in accordance with the local people Islamic and cultural practices, which prohibits mingling of opposite sex.
"We discovered that the local ladies, who brought up in strict Islamic and Somali cultural practices were not benefiting from many opportunities for fear of mixing with men, but since the ICT centers was partitioned many ladies has come out to register for the program and learn computer lessons" he added.
"This unique program apart from offering highly need IT skills to youth majority who are unable to raise fees to study computers skills from the local private colleges, it will also engage the youth who have complete their primary and secondary education and were idling around" he said.
Due to the high cost of maintaining computers under the dust and extremely hot environment conditions in North-Eastern local colleges charge exorbitantly for the computer courses to caution themselves from making loses. The local mid colleges offering computer studies charge 4,000 to 3,500 per package, which is beyond the financial capacity of many parents.
Amina Abdullahi, an orphan who dream to be IT expert, whose hopes were lost since her family couldn't afforded the required fees of 3,000 per package, but now happy for getting this wonderful opportunity said she was excited when she was told of the program that will make her realize her dashing dream without paying a cent.
"I was wondering what I will do next after finish high school since my parents were categorical that they can no longer sustain my education further. They know I'm capable of making to my dream profession, but truly they could afford my ambition. They have lost all their livestock in the subsequent droughts that hit our region" She added.
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