KENYA: A project in rural Kenya is testing whether developing countries can jump ahead in the technology race, writes Rob Crilly in Mbita Point
Violah Adhiambo is engrossed in her hand-held computer, flicking through the pages of a virtual geography textbook.
She is part of a pilot project testing whether satellite technology and hand-held computers might one day replace textbooks in schools.
Yet Mbita Point Primary is not in Japan or another technology hot-spot like Silicon Valley.
It stands on the shores of Lake Victoria, in remote, rural Kenya, where mains electricity arrived only last year and three in 100 families have a phone.
Outside the classroom, children are sweeping the yard with branches from a mango tree.
In short, Mbita Point is on the wrong side of the digital divide.
Yet, the developers behind the computer system say their idea can help Africa catch up with the developed world by missing out on one step of the technology ladder and moving straight to the next rung.
So instead of trying to hook up the school to the internet - and using Kenya's crumbling telephone network - children are downloading information via satellite.
Maciej Sudra, of Eduvision - the NGO behind the venture - said: "It is exciting that this is happening in Kenya and not Japan or the US."
The technology uses digital versions of textbooks sent via an internet connection to the World Space radio satellite.
Signals are picked up by a base station in the school - essentially an antenna, hard disc and wireless connection.
Information on the hard disc is updated every 24 hours, with new textbooks or internet content.
As each pupil arrives at school their hand-held computer - known as an e-slate - registers with the base station and downloads any new information.
They can also access a library held on the base station as long as they stay within its 100 metre range. Eventually the children will be able to do assignments on their computers and hand them in via the base station.
Two months ago 11-year-old Violah had never touched a computer. Now she says she wants to be a secretary when she leaves school so she can fire e-mails around the world every day.
"It was a little difficult at first," she says as her stylus flicks around the screen, producing reams of information on the Great Rift Valley.
"The good thing is that instead of carrying lots of books we can just carry this." Each e-slate costs about $300 at present, according to Matthew Herren, co-founder of Eduvision.
He is encouraging designers to develop a more robust hand-held computer, better suited to children's needs, and is confident the price can be reduced to $100 for a child's entire school career, putting it on a par with the cost of books. "Our satellite radio system covers the whole of Africa - there are no blackspots. If you want to convince a government to use this system it really has to work in all schools," he said.
"Once the network is set up it costs the same to do one school or the whole of Africa - and that's about $24,000 to send out a year's textbooks." Kenya has seen an explosion of interest in wireless and mobile communications in the past year.
Small-scale farmers in remote, rural areas can now receive the latest market prices in text messages sent by the Kenya Agricultural Commodity Exchange.
It means they can travel to the best market for their produce and know how hard to negotiate. Before, those living a long way from markets would have had to take their chances.
Mobile telephony is a huge growth sector in a country where telephone lines are notoriously unreliable.
Calestous Juma, professor of the practice of international development at Harvard University, said it made Africa, and Kenya in particular, a perfect testing ground for new ideas and gave the developing world a chance to bridge the digital divide through "technology leapfrogging".
"We are finding it is easier to do that in areas where you do not have prior commitment to older technologies," he said.
"So this project looks like it could actually bypass text books and go straight to emerging technologies but this can be more difficult in areas where there are vested interests."
The pilot project at Mbita is due to finish in August, when the developers plan to move into more schools.