Current social distancing directives by the Kenyan government has made physical attending of classes by learners impossible; as a tentative solution, institutions have instead opted to utilize available technologies and offer lessons through e-learning. However, not all institutions, parents and even learners are privileged to have resources that would acquire necessary hardware to facilitate the same. We’ve recently seen the likes of Safaricom create partnerships with like minded organizations to donate tablets to students in urban slums to facilitate virtual learning.
As much as most learners are eager to continue pursuing their lessons online, not everything is going in their favor. A few educational content focused organizations such as longhorn have agreed to support e-learning efforts by allowing learners access to important education content on their portals. But this is not all, learners still need to have internet and a tablet or computer which can be expensive to acquire during this period.
Absa bank has therefore agreed to offer some relief to parents and institutions during this difficult period. The financial institution will support schools to procure e-learning infrastructure including the hardware and software required for e-learning. The bank will also avail financial support to parents who need to acquire necessary hardware such as laptops for their school-going children.
The announcement was made by the bank’s managing director here in Kenya Jeremy Awori who acknowledged the difficult crisis facing the entire world in modern history. He also added that the bank was keen to provide necessary support during these tough times to enable institution continue contacting their activities during and beyond these extraordinary times.
The financial institution has also reviewed its credit terms and is offering various relief options to cushion schools against the financial difficulties presented by COVID-19. Speaking during the announcement, Awori acknowledged that some of the bank’s customers are struggling to meet their financial obligations. He therefore announced the bank will continue working with them through various payment relief options as well as the reviewed credit opportunities to provide them with much-needed continuity during this period.
