VOA慢速英語(yǔ):Kenya's Pledge to Provide Every First-year Student with a Laptop

From VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)教育報(bào)道。

Kenya's recently elected President Uhuru Kenyatta has promised free laptop computers to every first-year student in the Country Schools. But some people questioned whether Kenya is ready and whether the president's plans can really succeed.

肯尼亞新當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)烏呼魯·肯雅塔(Uhuru Kenyatta)承諾為鄉(xiāng)村小學(xué)每位一年級(jí)學(xué)生提供一臺(tái)免費(fèi)的筆記本電腦。但有些人質(zhì)疑肯尼亞是否具有這樣的能力，以及這位總統(tǒng)的計(jì)劃是否真的能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)。

Provision of the computers is to begin early next year. First-year students at schools like the Muthaiga primary school outside Nairobi, currently learned the traditional way with chalkboards, textbooks, and memorization.

肯尼亞將于明年年初開始提供電腦。在內(nèi)羅畢郊外的木沙加小學(xué)(Muthaiga primary school)這樣的學(xué)校就讀的一年級(jí)學(xué)生目前正使用黑板、教科書和記憶法則這些傳統(tǒng)方式來(lái)學(xué)習(xí)。

Muthaiga's head teacher Bernadette Owino said the new technology could provide excellent chances for learning for her students.

木沙加小學(xué)校長(zhǎng)貝爾納黛特·歐文娜(Bernadette Owino)表示，新科技能夠?yàn)閷W(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)提供很好的機(jī)會(huì)。

"The world is becoming a small village and you need to connect with the rest of the world, only if you're computer literate. And it will also give the children a chance as they progress and grow to be able to research and have more knowledge. I think it's a great idea if it works. It's beautiful. "

她說(shuō)，“世界正在成為一個(gè)小地球村，你需要與世界其它地方聯(lián)系。而你只有精通電腦(才能做到)。同時(shí)這也有利于孩子們的進(jìn)步和成長(zhǎng)，他們可以去進(jìn)行研究和了解更多知識(shí)。我認(rèn)為如果計(jì)劃能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)，這將是一個(gè)非常好的主意，這太棒了。”

Educators and students may be excited and pleased about the government's laptop program, but others say the country is not ready. Many teachers still are not able to use computers themselves, and a lot of schools are in poor condition, and do not have electric power.

教育工作者和學(xué)生們可能對(duì)政府的這項(xiàng)筆記本項(xiàng)目感到非常興奮和高興。但很多人認(rèn)為，肯尼亞并未做好準(zhǔn)備。許多教師自己還不會(huì)使用電腦，很多學(xué)校年久失修，而且沒有電。

The post-primary teachers union says it supports the idea of giving computers to first-year students, but the union's Secretary General Akelo Misori said students and teachers must first made basic requirements.

小學(xué)教師工會(huì)表示，他們支持向一年級(jí)學(xué)生提供電腦的計(jì)劃。但工會(huì)秘書長(zhǎng)阿克羅·密所里(Akelo Misori)表示，師生們首先必須滿足基本要求。

"If basic skills of math and reading are still a challenge in our primary schools, then it means, therefore, that the introduction of technology in schools through laptops may not be a viable component of our learning circumstances now."

他說(shuō)，“如果基本的數(shù)學(xué)和閱讀能力在我們學(xué)校仍然是個(gè)問題，那這就意味著，通過(guò)筆記本把科技引入學(xué)校對(duì)我們當(dāng)前的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境來(lái)說(shuō)并不可行。”

The laptop program was a major campaign promise of Mr Kenyatta who won the election in March by a narrow vote. But the idea started at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Nairobi.

該筆記本項(xiàng)目是肯雅塔先生一項(xiàng)重要的競(jìng)選承諾，他在今年三月以微弱優(yōu)勢(shì)贏得總統(tǒng)選舉。但該想法來(lái)源于內(nèi)羅畢的喬莫·肯雅塔農(nóng)業(yè)技術(shù)大學(xué)。

Suleman Okech heads a team that is proposing ways to put the program into effect. The computers to be used operate on solar power.

蘇萊曼·歐凱克(Suleman Okech)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)，他們提出建議來(lái)落實(shí)這個(gè)項(xiàng)目。這些電腦將使用太陽(yáng)能。

Suleman Okech said every new program has difficulties that have to be faced, he said his team's challenges include training teachers to manage school's getting computers. But he said he believes the teacher can do what is required.

歐凱克表示，每個(gè)新項(xiàng)目都會(huì)面臨困難。他們面臨的挑戰(zhàn)包括培訓(xùn)教師來(lái)管理學(xué)校獲得的電腦。但他表示他相信教師們可以達(dá)到要求。

And he added that if the program goes ahead, its effects would extent far beyond the classroom. He said to produce half a million laptops by January, 12,000 people would have be to employed, but there are budget worries.

他補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，如果該項(xiàng)目順利進(jìn)行，其影響會(huì)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出課堂。他說(shuō)，要在明年一月前生產(chǎn)50萬(wàn)臺(tái)筆記本電腦，需要雇傭1.2萬(wàn)人。但該項(xiàng)目還存在預(yù)算上的隱憂。

The new government is still working on the country's budget and how to pay for the program. Providing laptop computers for all first-year school children in Kenya is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

新政府仍在做該國(guó)的預(yù)算，以及如何為這個(gè)項(xiàng)目提供資金。預(yù)計(jì)向肯尼亞所有一年級(jí)學(xué)生提供筆記本電腦將耗資數(shù)億美元。