U N I V E R S I T Y O F N A I R O B I COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND EXTERNAL STUDIES ADDRESS BY PROF.ISAAC O. JUMBA, Ag. PRINCIPAL, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND EXTERNAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI DURING 1 ST GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE CERTIFICATE IN ICT BASIC SKILLS AND INTEGRATION OF ICT IN EDUCATION STUDENTS VENUE: QC SQUARE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND EXTERNAL STUDIES, KIKUYU CAMPUS DATE: TUESDAY 3RD, DECEMBER 2013 AT 9.00 AM. The Vice Chancellor, University of Nairobi, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (AA) Prof. H.W. Mutoro The Rector, African Virtual University 1
Dr. Gori, Representing the Vice Chancellor Presbyterian University of East Africa Other Government and Institutional Representatives present The University of Nairobi Management and staff Graduands, Invited Guests, Ladies and gentlemen Good morning, It is my great pleasure to welcome you to this Graduation Ceremony for students who successfully completed the programme in ICT Basic Skills and ICT Integration in Education offered under the AVU-UON partnership in this College. It is indeed a great day as this is the first 2
graduation ceremony of the first cohort of 48 students who completed this programme. We believe this will be a yearly event as we continue to enroll more students. With us is also another set of graduands from among our own members of staff in the college who participated in a course in Sign language and we are pleased they are also here with us to receive their certificates. The Partnership between AVU and the University of Nairobi began in July 2006 with the signing of a five year Memorandum of Understanding which formed the first phase of the multinational project which had three specific aims: 3
1. To Increase access to higher education in Africa by providing educational programmes using open, distance and e- learning technologies 2. To Provide skills for University of Nairobi to build and enhance its capacity to be able to design, develop and manage its own open, distance and e-learning programmes. 3. To Establish an ODeL Centre at the College of Education and External Studies to serve as a training hub In the Memorandum of Understanding, the AVU undertook to: 4
1. Provide a capacity enhancement programme in which six members of staff were trained in ODeL methodology. This involved workshops and online modes of delivery. The curriculum consisted of three streams namely: Materials development, Technology and delivery and governance, management and financing. 2. Implement the Teacher Education programme in which study materials were developed and the female students supported through scholarships 3. Establish an ODeL centre installed with a VSAT to increase internet bandwidth, computer infrastructure and furniture. The 5
Centre is now a fully-fledged computer and multimedia lab with 30 computers all connected to the internet. We are most grateful to the AVU as it is through the establishment of the ODeL Centre that we have been able to offer quality training in ICT to the graduands who will receive their certificates today. The Centre continues to serve as the ICT training facility for the development, delivery and management of open, distance and e- learning programmes for the university community as well as providing in-service 6
teachers the opportunity to acquire the skills needed in schools across the country. This is even more critical now with the advent of the laptop project in schools starting in 2014. This training has enabled the college achieve some of its performance indicators such as providing internship opportunities to its main clientele who are teachers and secondly, the programme is part of community outreach as the focus is on teachers from schools around the campus. I believe the knowledge and skills that these graduands have received has made a difference in the teaching and learning process and management in their schools. 7
I sincerely appreciate the tremendous support through scholarships we have received from the AVU. Just in May 2013, we signed another MOU which has enabled us enroll another sixty students on scholarships provided by the AVU. This is the phase two of the AVU project. We also acknowledge the gender mainstreaming programme where female students pursuing science courses were given scholarships. In 2010/2011, 31 female students pursuing Bachelor of Education (Science) received a total of 20,000 Dollars in support. We hope this will 8
continue so that many more women can pursue the sciences. As I conclude, may I again thank you all for joining us to celebrate the successful completion of the programme and to say congratulations to the graduands. It is now my pleasure to invite the Rector, AVU to make his remarks. Thank you. 9