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Bringing Computers to Meru School
Keith Schuchard
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In June 2003 Ron and Keith Schuchard, while participating in the TEEA visit to East Africa, took a side-trip to visit Meru Boys School, where they had been TEA teachers in 1963-65. This was our second return visit, for we had contacted former students and visited the school in 1985. What we did not realize at that time was that many of these Old Boys were under surveillance and enduring persecution by President Moi's government, for the Meru region always opposed Moi's repressive policies. Many of our students were active in the reform movement that won the election of 2002, and they were determined to launch a recovery plan not only for Meru School, which had suffered from the bad leadership of political appointees, but for the whole region, whose infrastructure (roads, electricity, etc.) had drastically deteriorated because of government corruption. Inspired by an energetic and innovative new principal, David Kariuki, we promised an annual donation to the school to help fund his ambitious plan to rebuild the school's former reputation for producing educational leaders, medical professionals, and "honest citizens." Then, a terrible tragedy occurred in July 2003, when the plane carrying Dr. George Brumley and ten family members crashed on Mount Kenya. As Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University, where Ron teaches, and as a revered Atlanta philanthropist, Dr. Brumley had communicated his love of Kenya to friends and colleagues. Thus, we determined to establish an educational memorial at Meru School which would carry on his spirit. Responding to our appeals, Emory faculty donated microscopes, lab equipment, encyclopedias, books, and--from the students--over a hundred pairs of athletic shoes and sports equipment. But most important was the main project--the installation of the Brumley Computer Lab. Supported by President William Chace and Vice-Provosts Bill Fox and Don Harris, funds were raised to collect, ship, and install recycled but top-grade computers, which had been used for Informational Technology instruction. In April we sent by UPS air service 18 Gateway Pentium III computers (flat screen monitors, compact towers, Windows 2000, 500 MHz to 1GHz). For inexplicable reasons, the shipment was not completed in 5 days, as promised by UPS, and the customs process was mind-boggling, but after several weeks of Atlanta-Kenya conference calls and e-mail checks, they finally arrived at the airport, to be picked up by school lorry. In May 2004, we took Dr. Fox and Ade Afonja, a Nigerian-American IT staff member, to Meru, where the computers were installed, after complex, frustrating, and often comical technical problems were overcome. Ade's familiarity with the electrical problems common to developing countries was crucial. He was so determined to overcome these nightmares that he worked day and night in the lab, even sleeping on the floor, while schoolboys crowded at the windows to watch him in action. Equally important was the constant assistance of Wahome Kaburu, a computer instructor at nearby Kenya Methodist University (KEMU), who volunteered his nights and weekends then and over the next year to monitor and maintain the high school's computer lab. As we learned (the hard way), the hands-on presence of a trained computer expert was critical to the successful operation and sustainability of the computers. In May 2005 we returned to Meru with Dr. Harris, Dr. Alan Cattier (director of Academic Information Technology), Jack McKinney (video/film expert), and Ade Afonja (the real hero of the project). Adding 12 new computers, the Emory team upgraded the electrical grid, repaired wiring, and installed educational software, such as the Encyclopedia Britannia on-line, the Virtual Human Body, the Astronomy of the Heavens, etc. They then connected the school to the Internet, which had finally become affordable after the breakup of the expensive monopoly on that service. The Old Boys Association, led by our former students, promised to fund the operating costs of keeping the lab on-line. Once again, Emory faculty and students had donated books, lab equipment, and athletic shoes. Joyful community ceremonies were held to celebrate the school's new facilities and the dramatically improved scores on national exams (the regional newspaper headlined, "Meru School Roars Back!"). We then visited Kaaga Girls High School and Kenya Methodist University and began making plans to expand the computer project to those institutions. Unfortunately, administrative and staff hangups at Emory and KEMU delayed the implementation of the next phase. Emory got a new president and deans, who were unfamiliar with the project, and Wahome Kaburu lost his job at KEMU. In order to keep him involved in the Meru project, the IT department subsidized his computer studies at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, and he made periodic trips (4 hour, potholed drive) to inspect the lab in Meru. As he learned, the newly-hired lab manager did not have the skills or commitment to properly maintain the computers. When Wahome relayed ominous news of dying computers, the IT team decided to delay the shipment of the next 10 computers until they could investigate the situation. In May 2006, we took Ade and Jose Rodriguez, a computer and ESL expert, to Meru, where they were dismayed at the deterioration of machines--seven apparently dead and, even after Ade's heroic re-buildings, only four recoverable. The looming prospect of a computer graveyard opened before us--and that during the week when the Vice-President of Kenya and many M.P.s came to dedicate the lab during the school's huge 50 Year Jubilee Celebration. We all learned just how fragile computers and internet connections are in a developing country, given the unstable electrical supply, and how important it is to educate the entire faculty and students about that fragility. Strict rules which prohibit music downloading, chat rooms, games playing, and other non-educational uses must be rigorously enforced, for such practices make the computers vulnerable to viruses (all of Meru's machines were seriously infected). The school must employ a well-trained and dedicated lab manager, who performs all the necessary virus prevention programs and updates and who can make repairs when needed. The manager must also educate all the teachers not only to the educational potential of the computers but to their vulnerability. Principal Kariuki was so upset by the potential "graveyard" that he called an assembly of the 750 students and all faculty, and the IT team made a serious and impassioned plea to them to take care of and "treasure" their computer lab. In a moving response, the students unanimously and emotionally pledged to do so. They were also told that the next shipment of computers would be delayed until the lab had recovered and until Wahome Kaburu had completed an intensive training course at Emory on maintaining, repairing, and building computers. He expects to arrive in Atlanta in August, and the Principal is raising funds to employ him when he returns to Meru. Despite the shock and disappointment of our 2006 visit, we are optimistic that the computer project will get back on track. With the new rules in place and local funds raised for major surge protectors, the 250 students now studying for computer certification believe they will overcome the difficulties. We hope that our story will serve as a warning to other TEAAers about the pitfalls as well as the potentials of computer projects in East Africa. Fortunately, all the Emory volunteers fell in love with Meru and have vowed to keep working institutionally and individually to help the schools and region recover and progress. In the meantime, we are presenting to the new administration at Emory proposals to expand the IT project to Kaaga and KEMU and--more importantly--to implement Emory partnerships with the University and Maua Methodist Hospital in the fields of medicine, nursing, environmental and religious studies. We'll let you know if these projects materialize. Whatever happens, Ron and I are committed to our first "home"--Meru Boys School--for the long haul. |