Strategic Activities for Sustainability of ICT Clubs in Schools

Sustainability is a critical aspect of the ICT clubs initiative to ensure long-term impact and value within schools. Several strategic activities have been designed to maintain the relevance and functionality of these clubs while enhancing the learning experience for students.

1. Creating Digital Instructional Materials for Learning

One of the cornerstone activities is training students to create digital instructional materials that support the learning process. This involves:

• Training in Digital Content Creation
  Students will receive hands-on workshops on the basics of digital content creation, including:
  • Text editing.
  • Audio production.
  • Video editing.
  • Using software tools to design educational materials.
• Team-Based Content Development
  After training, students will collaborate in teams to produce instructional materials on various subjects. These materials will align with Uganda’s new competence-based curriculum and cover subjects like:
  • Chemistry.
  • Physics.
  • Mathematics.
  • Geography.
  • History.
  • Biology.
  • Entrepreneurship Education.
  • English.
• Sharing and Distribution
  The content created will be shared through KAWA Connect, enabling resource sharing within schools and across institutions. This not only enhances learning outcomes but also ensures the continuous utility of ICT club activities.

2. Supporting the Competence-Based Curriculum

The ICT clubs play a vital role in complementing the competence-based curriculum with innovative digital solutions. Students, under the guidance of KAWA and the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC), create student-led digital content tailored to specific subjects. This approach:

• Encourages student ownership of learning resources.
• Promotes peer-to-peer learning through shared content.
• Bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

3. Enhancing Technology with Local Innovations

The ICT clubs, in collaboration with KAWA, actively improve existing technologies to better suit school environments. A notable example includes:

• Enhancing Raspberry Pi IV Devices
  UCC provided Raspberry Pi IV devices to schools, which the ICT club at St. Mary’s College Kisubi optimized by:
  • Adding a TP-Link router to extend wireless networks.
  • Enabling the sharing of offline resources within schools.

This innovation ensures wider access to digital learning resources, even in areas with limited internet connectivity, making it a scalable solution for other schools.

4. Building a Repository of Digital Resources

The digital content created by ICT clubs is curated into a repository accessible through KAWA Connect. This repository serves as:

• A sustainable platform for sharing instructional materials across schools.
• A resource pool that supports learning beyond the classroom.
• A foundation for future ICT club activities focused on resource creation and enhancement.

5. Integrating ICT Clubs into School Programs

To ensure long-term sustainability, ICT clubs are integrated into broader school programs by:

• Making them part of the school’s extracurricular activities.
• Aligning their objectives with the school’s academic goals.
• Encouraging collaboration with other student clubs to promote interdisciplinary learning.

The sustainability of ICT clubs hinges on their ability to continuously add value to the school community. By training students to create digital instructional materials, supporting curriculum-aligned innovations, and enhancing technology with local solutions, the ICT clubs ensure their relevance and impact.

This strategy not only empowers students with practical skills but also creates a self-sustaining ecosystem where schools can rely on their ICT clubs for ongoing digital transformation. These efforts, supported by KAWA, UCC, and schools, pave the way for a brighter, technology-driven future in Uganda’s education system.