Teachers will no longer rely on chalk to pass down knowledge. Microsoft in partnership with the British Council has launched a program to train teachers for the African Digital Schools Project. This program dubbed “Badiliko” aims to integrate ICT among learners through innovative teaching.

The initiative which is also in collaboration with Kenya Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is aimed at integrating ICT in classroom activities. One of the projects strands is to set up 80 digital hubs in 6 African countries which will use multipoint servers. It also aims at engaging different education policies in these countries in line with embedding ICT in their curriculum.

Speaking during the launch of the training at the Kenya School of Monetery Studies, Mark Matunga, Regional Education Manager, Microsoft East and Southern Africa said, “Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft has trained over 20,000 Kenyan educators not only on basic ICT skills, but also on ICT integration in Teaching and Learning. In addition Microsoft has generated over 230,000 email accounts in Kenya and 45,000 email accounts in Uganda for public school teachers.”

The partnership between the British Council and Microsoft builds on both organizations’ complementary expertise in education, technology and cultural relations.

Launching the partnership, British Council Country Director, Alison Coutts says: “I am delighted that the first project in the new British Council – Microsoft partnership will happen in Africa, where we have the experience and connections to work effectively with educators and leaders on the ground to really make a difference.”

The partnership between the British Council and Microsoft, officially launched in November 2011, aims at improving ICT use in innovative teaching practice, helping teachers hone their English language skills, and providing content to help educators increase their students’ knowledge and ability to engage in a global environment.