Kibera Sub-County government in Kenya in partnership with engineering systems company, Burhani Engineers, has announced that it will be offering computer systems and engineering power classes to county's pupils.

As reported by Tech news Kenya, the new partnership, which will see at least ten schools receive ten computers in the first round, aims to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the region. The classes are also said to be aimed at preparing the grassroots demographic for more technology-based career opportunities.

The initiative will benefit Kibra schools including Kibera Primary, Toi Primary, Mbagathi Primary, Olympic Primary, Redrose school, Kibera Secondary, Mbagathi secondary, Olympic secondary and the sub county education directorate and will be moderated by Funke Michaels-Miano, an MIT and Harvard University Fellow.

The partnership was signed by MD of Burhani Engineers Limited, Zoher Pirbhai and Kibera sub-county Directorate of Education, Lydia Mutegi, as well as the Kibra MP Office represented by Ann Ithara.

"East Africa is industrialising at a very rapid pace, and our population needs to align with emerging opportunities. We need our workforce to have the necessary skills to be competitive in these highly technical areas. We see a situation whereby we can reach to the young talents, nature their talent and improve their Knowledge in ICT," said Pirbhai.

He added that the Engineering Power Classes will be taught once a week in the schools by Burhani team members.

Mutegi thanked the firm for the initiative and assured them that the computers will be put into good use, "This initiative has come up at the right time," she said. "The area MP is currently constructing additional secondary schools here, and I know that the computers and power classes will be of great assistance. I urge other organisations to follow this example and help us improve the level of education in this country," she added.

According to Tech news Kenya, This support is a big boost for the country's Digital Learning Programme that is set to instil computer studies into pupils from class one. The Digital Literacy programme is a multi-sectoral Government initiative that aims to introduce young people in Kenya to online work and provide the tools, training, and mentorship needed for them to work and earn an income through online work. Mid this year, the government also embarked on its free laptop project by distributing over 12,000 learning devices to 150 public primary schools as a pilot for the programme.

The Burhani support is coming on a backdrop of a recent study by the US department of education that projects an increase in STEM jobs. The study shows that students perusing mathematics increase their chances of obtaining a job by 16%, computer system analysis by 22%, system software development by 32%, medical scientists by 36% and biomedical engineering by a whopping 62%.