This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
On July 16, 2020, Safaricom announced the extension of free access to digital educational content for primary and secondary school students in Kenya until 8th September 2020, following the extended closure of learning institutions.
Since April 2020, over 10 million education bundles have been redeemed to access e-learning platforms, while over 1.8 million learners have accessed the SMS-based Shupavu291 platform by Eneza Education.
Dr. Joel Mabonga, Ag. Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), commended Safaricom's initiative, saying, “Safaricom’s intervention of providing data bundles to access e-content from the Kenya Education Cloud has provided an opportunity for more learners to access lessons from home. Parents and guardians should take advantage of this initiative and encourage their children to benefit from this offer.”
With learning institutions set to remain closed for an extended period, e-learning material on the Kenya Education Cloud by KICD and Mwalimoo by Eneza Education will be accessible at no cost via the free daily 100MB education bundle available on 544#. The bundle is also usable on the Viusasa and Longhorn e-learning platforms, which charge a subscription fee.
Wambura Kimunyu, Eneza Education CEO, noted that waiving the daily fees on Shupavu291 has seen the number of learners accessing their platform every day grow by over 400%. She also highlighted that around 64% of the learners are female, with over 46% of learners using their mothers’ phones.
Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, emphasized that their role is to promote inclusive digital learning by leveraging their extensive coverage and working with like-minded partners to empower parents and learners across the country.
