The Annual ICT Directors Forum  for Tertiary Colleges was held in Nairobi between August 31 - September 1, 2023. The One and half-day - in person event was attended by ICT Directors from Tertiary Colleges or their representatives, Trainers and invited guests with 80 participants. The theme of the forum was , "Readiness for digitalization of tertiary colleges".

The key topics discussed during the forum include how educational technology and high-speed internet connectivity enhances learning outcomes in tertiary colleges, ERP deployment, Digitalization and  Capacity Building  in Tertiary Colleges.

ICT Directors of Tertiary Colleges

Speaking during the Plenary Discussion on Enhancing ICT readiness for tertiary colleges, the ICT Directors emphasized the importance of having stable power in enhancing internet availability and campus wifi coverage. This was informed by the recent nationwide power outages which resulted in disruption in learning and administration emphasizing on the need for member institutions to invest in power backups such as UPSes, Generators and solar panels for business continuity.

The ICT Directors unanimously agreed on the necessity for institutions to have multiple power backups in place incase of power outages. Emphasizing on this, Mr. Stephen Wafula, Kibabii Diploma Teachers Training College, said a downtime from the main supply should not be a hindrance and institutions should be well equipped with power backups as power outages pose a great challenge to the institution. Institutions can invest in inverters that provide them with uninterrupted power supply to network devices in the institution meeting the demand of the institution.

Based on the 2021 Annual Core Data report on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) deployment, 81% of member institutions had ERPs, with 31% having completed implementation. For successful ERP deployment, tertiary colleges were asked to ensure that all user requirements from various departments are stated before the implementation to ensure that all user requirements from different departments are stated before the implementation to ensure they have a system in place that meets all their needs. Other notable factors for successful ERP implementation include financial investment and putting proper legal procedures in place to ensure the service level agreement between the institution and the vendor is met.

Speaking at the forum Prof. Meoli Kashorda, KENET's Executive Director, highlighted the significance of Understanding digitalization in tertiary colleges. "KENET aims to support the digital transformation (Dx) journey of individual member institutions, including tertiary colleges through capacity building workshops for senior leadership and ICT managers, annual core data surveys, provision of affordable meaningful or "good internet connectivity services and community cloud-based digital enterprise and academic services," Prof. Kashorda. KENET has adopted the EDUCAUSE Dx framework(five steps) and the annual core data collected from member institutions to assess their state of readiness for the digital transformation journey to assess where they are in the Dx journey. Digital transformation purposes to enhance the learning outcomes and prepare graduates for employment in 21st century.