Kenya’s Elimu TV is set to launch its educational platform on Signet Kenya in a move to broadcast secondary education to students and youth free of charge to their TV screens.
The firm is in final talks with several partners to bring education to the TV and make learning convenient especially for those who dropped out of school and have no time for the normal school routine.
Paul Mukoma, the CEO of Princecam Media, the firm behind Elimu TV says, ” Elimu will be the most watched TV channel in the near future as well as making a very big impact in education by filling a gap for the many Kenyan children and youth who missed opportunity to transit to secondary school. With Nairobi migrating to Digital platform, the channel will competitively stand out among other TVs for advertisements and viewership.”
Elimu TV is currently working with the Network for Non Formal Educational Institutions (N-NFEI), an organization established to facilitate education by children from poor background and city slums through Non-Formal Education Centers and Schools. The program stated in 2011 by using video conferencing and reaching out to two centers one at Korogocho and the other at Kayole in Kenya.
At the moment, Elimu Tv has content for Mathematics, Physics, Biology and Kiswahili on Videos and has already been testing its reach via the Signet Platform for some months.
N-NFEI has appointed Elimu Digital Media Ltd (EDM), a susbsdiary of Princecam Media to manage the activities of the ElimuTV.
Elimu Digital Media LTD offers educational solutions through technology and media.EDM was appointed by the Network for Non Formal Education Institution to manage Elimu TV for 10 years.
The free to Air TV Channel broadcasting Secondary education and short courses on skill based program that include Agriculture among others will also live stream conferences and workshops and documentaries. It will also have a mobile platform (22342) that will enable access to short SMS statement that will enable students to revise easily.
Those with internet will also be able to access online classes via the yet to be launched web portal.
According to the firm, students will be able to pay school fees via mobile phone through the firms Buy Goods Till number 56956.The service is targeting House Girls, Casual Labors, Young Mothers, Prisoners and kids from poor communities who have dropped out of school due to lack of school fees. Elimu Digital Media has appointed Christian Peschken based in the US as our fundraising ambassador in the US, Canada and Rome.
Last year, another startup, Mank and Tank launched to introduce virtual classrooms on mobile devices that allow users to access educational material,create digital content, present & share info but nothing much has not been heard from them.