DAR ES SALAAM: MINISTER of State, President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government, Mr Mohamed Mchemgerwa, has said that the government has allocated 18bn/- for purchase of ICT equipment in the 2023/2024 financial year.
The funds allocated through the Secondary Education Quality Improvement Project (SEQUIP) is expected to benefit 1,500 secondary schools in the country.
The minister said that the government allocated the funds by recognising the importance of using ICT in learning and building the intended competencies in secondary school curricula.
Speaking this week at the launch of the distribution of ICT equipment to secondary schools nationwide, held at the Special Girls’ Science School in Dar es Salaam Region, located in the Ubungo Municipality, Mr Mchengerwa said that the aim of providing the equipment was to strengthen modern teaching and learning methods by utilising and learning ICT, in order to keep up with global advancements in science and technology.
He said the use of ICT equipment is one of the interventions and indicators of the implementation of SEQUIP programme which focuses at improving teaching and learning and through ICT in Secondary schools.
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” Through the implementation of the SEQUIP project, a total of 1,500 secondary schools are expected to benefit from ICT equipment. Today, we are distributing equipment to 231 schools, which are part of the 1,500 schools that will benefit from this programme,” he said.
To achieve this goal, the government has already provided ICT training and basic maintenance services to 3,132 secondary school teachers.
Mr Mchengerwa said that the training for the teachers aims to ensure they are equipped with the skills to maintain the purchased equipment, use it effectively, guide students and perform basic troubleshooting when equipment malfunctions.
He added that the purchase of ICT equipment has followed the SEQUIP (ICT package) guidelines for each secondary school benefiting from the programme.
According to the guidelines, the purchased equipment includes 1,848 desktop computers, 462 UPS units, 231 laptops, 231 projectors and 231 projector screens.
“The government believes that the use of ICT equipment, which is being distributed today, will bring about a major transformation in teaching and learning in secondary schools,” the minister said.
He noted that with the tools provided, teachers will enhance their teaching effectiveness and students will gain additional knowledge during their learning process.
