Streamlining School Work with Technology; A Student’s Perspective

Interview and article by Tricia Nambogo, an Action in Africa 2024 Intern

In this digital age, schools must adapt to meet the changing needs of students when it comes to embracing technology to empower students to reach new heights of academic success. I sat down with Kawooya Emmanuel, a secondary school scholarship student who is in senior four at Central College School in Nakuwadde (my former school) to discuss how computers and other equipment at his school can ease school work as well as enhance the learning experience. Emmanuel shared his vision for a tech-enabled education in our interview.

What equipment do you think schools should solicit for?

Laptops or tablets for each student, high-speed internet, and cutting-edge software like AI-powered learning tools and coding software. This will eventually help me in building my career in the sciences because I am so interested in them.  In contrast, the desktops that the school owns are so limited that we have to share five students during each lesson and there is no access to the internet because currently, the school doesn’t provide wi-fi which hinders online research. This is counterintuitive because according to the new curriculum,  we are required to research using the internet.

Do you have hopes of procuring a laptop?

I do not have any plans of purchasing a laptop. Despite my desire to have one, my parents and I lack the means to afford it. However, I am hopeful since I am in the Action in Africa secondary scholarship program, if I can achieve good grades and apply to the University Scholarship program, hopefully, I will manage to get it, and then I could have a chance to acquire a laptop during the internship program at the AIA centre and for my university education. 

How can technology transform schoolwork?

With access to digital resources we can explore new ideas, do work more efficiently, and develop essential skills for the future. For example, I am very excited about the new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that I have been hearing about.

According to the new education curriculum adopted by the government of Uganda for the lower secondary education that I am now finishing, computers are necessary for research since we are now required to create our own classroom notes after the teachers introduce the topics in class. I think my education would be more interesting if I had my own computer to do personal research.

What benefits do you think technology can bring to the classroom?

The presence of computers can make work more engaging, interactive, and interesting. Students can become creative and good at critical thinking because they can do research and resolve problems using the different theories on the web. This will enable us to succeed in different fields because they will have immediate access to research engines with a wide range of information. 

The insufficiency of computers within our school has hindered the pursuit of technology because the hardware that is present can’t cater to every interested student and we do not have an internet connection at school. Unfortunately, none of my friends have a laptop and we have no immediate access to the internet because data charges are very high. This makes it hard for us to complete assignments about research.