Aiming at narrowing the technology divide between international, urban and rural classrooms, Dr Benard William Chitunga commissioned a prototype digital classroom at Chegulo Boarding and Day Primary and Secondary Schools, announcing the start of a Mandarin Virtual Learning pilot for the local community.

Speaking during the event, Dr Chitunga said the project is a response to the growing global obsession with artificial intelligence and “alternative brains,” while many learners in rural villages still lack basic exposure to computers and digital tools. 

“From today, learners from the Chegulo Community will, step by step, gain a digital experience as Mandarin Virtual Learning commences effective immediately,” the Cooperative University of Kenya Chancellor said during the event. 

He is also the patron of the school where he acquired his childhood education before becoming a global ‘civil servant’ as he calls himself. 

With the help of his colleagues as patrons of the school, he said it was time that communities became deliberate about digital inclusion of schools in a bid to connect rural learners to the whole world.

The prototype classroom, which he described as a community-focused digital lab, will introduce children to computer hardware, internet-enabled lessons and a curriculum component delivered through Mandarin Virtual Learning software. 

The project has been funded to the tune of Ksh1.6 million with at least 20 laptops among other equipment needed for the project to kick-off. 

Dr Chitunga noted that the pilot is intended not only to teach basic digital literacy, but to expose pupils to global environment and online learning modalities rarely available in remote schools.

“The world is now obsessed with the pursuit of alternative brains, while in rural villages, learners have no experience with computers,” he said.

Dr Chitunga framed the launch as a moral imperative, saying the ceremony “pricked our conscience as a society, reminding us of our role.” 

He pledged to “play our part” in expanding access and acknowledged institutional partners who supported the roll-out.

Huawei Kenya, one of the partners, has been active in efforts to modernise classrooms and demonstrate scalable “smart classroom” solutions across the country. 

In recent months the firm and its collaborators have showcased smart classroom technologies and run pilot connectivity projects aimed at equipping underserved schools with internet access and interactive teaching tools.

The Co-operative University of Kenya, where Dr Chitunga made history by serving as the youngest Chancellor in the country, is also among the partners in the historic project.

The university’s engagement with digital learning initiatives and institutional partnerships has been documented in recent university publications and news updates, signalling an academic interest in supporting community-facing digital education projects. 

Local teachers and community leaders who attended the commissioning welcomed the initiative, noting that early exposure to digital tools could broaden opportunities for Chegulo pupils and help close a persistent skills gap. 

With this project planted in one of the remote areas, more developments are set to be realised like stable power supply and internet connectivity.

If the Chegulo prototype proves successful, leaders who were present including area MCA Kevin Mahelo noted that it could be scaled to neighbouring schools and inform broader efforts to make Kenya’s classrooms more future-ready.

As Dr Chitunga noted in his message, the initiative is an attempt to “dance”, a local metaphor for community celebration, while confronting a wider societal responsibility to educate for the digital age.