Resilient education management for online learning in Kenya

The Covid-19 pandemic required education systems to adopt new operational approaches and pivot to new opportunities. This had a significant impact on countries such as Kenya, where the pandemic further escalated existing problems of limited internet access and an expensive process of fostering structural change to accommodate home learning facilities. The education management system is poorly governed, there is a lack of trained teachers and limited inclusivity of girls or students with known disabilities.

Our project is a collaboration between Brunel, the Mwezi Foundation, which supports more than 50 schools in Kenya, and Transmedia Communications Ltd, London-based software development and digital skills training company with experience of continuous support to the education sector in Africa.

The deliverable objectives in this project are:

  • Identify ways to enhance monitoring of the home-based education system to overcome the problem of limited inclusion of female and disabled students and to reduce the cost associated with the retention of teachers.
  • Enhance the quality of the governance system and assist policy makers to make necessary changes in the education governance structure.
  • Maintain and analyse required data related to the education system, especially to ensure that home-based learning still meets recognised standards.
  • Enhance the capacity of the non-conventional home-based education system by including the diverse needs of female students and students with known disabilities.
  • Minimise the cost of delivering education facilities and maximise the benefit of learning by building and supporting a more efficient education management system.

Our field data helps provide research-based evidence to enhance the suitability of Transmedia Communications ClassCare software product a student assessment and grading software tool.

We conducted interviews with principal stakeholders to understand in detail the problems in the education system in Kenya and importantly, to what extent these problems have escalated with the changing COVID-19 environments.

The findings of this research contribute towards the education system governance, create an enhanced data management system, and provide accountability to the initiatives of educational offices in the country. This will in turn increase the retention and reduce the absenteeism of teachers. It considers factors such as the number of female students in the system, the education provision for students with known disabilities, and the factors affecting the success or failure of home-learning. It will also assist policy makers in developing their strategy around the changing nature of the pandemic.

“From this research, the business reached an understanding about the different factors that need to be considered to enhance the ClassCare product to increase adaptability in non-conventional learning systems. Working with Dr Nandy and the Brunel research team has been extremely useful for understanding how to give greater value to the product in the context of better supporting the socioeconomic development of African countries “

Nick Stockbridge, Founder and Director of Transmedia Communications Ltd


Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Dr Monomita Nandy
Dr Monomita Nandy - Dr Monomita Nandy is currently a Professor in Accounting and Finance at Brunel Business School (BBS), Brunel University of London, UK. Prof Nandy has served as the Vice Dean International of the College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences, Director of Internationalisation, and Director of the Postgraduate Programme at Brunel Business School, alongside other leadership roles. She holds two PhDs, one from the University of Calcutta, India, and the other from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. Prior to joining Brunel University, she held academic and research positions at Lally Business School, New York; Radboud University, the Netherlands; the University of Surrey, UK; and leading institutes in India. She is highly popular among students and has received student-led Best Teacher awards. She has also been recognised for her innovative and technology-led teaching. Her research interests include interdisciplinary studies focused on digitalisation to achieve sustainable development goals, alongside her disciplinary research on emerging issues in Corporate Finance. Her research has been published in high-impact, international, peer-reviewed journals such as IJFE, JBE, TIJA, BSE, and others. She serves as an associate editor for leading journals, including IJFE, BSE, and IJFS, and regularly presents her research at major business and management conferences. Her research has been highly regarded by institutions such as the UK Parliament, the Sustainability Board in India, St James Entrepreneur Club London, the Small Business Charter in the UK, and the Chartered Institute of Taxation in England. Prof Nandy conducts policy-relevant research and shares her expertise by participating in consultations initiated by the FRC, EU Commission, and HMRC. Her work frequently garners media attention. She is the Chair of the South-East group of the British Accounting and Finance Association, Vice Chair for Research Engagement at EICBI, a member and champion of the IMA Technology Solutions & Practices (TSP) Committee (USA), a board member of the Centre for AI, and a Lab Leader at the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Sustainability at Brunel University of  London. She also serves as a research advisor for companies in the UK and abroad, such as Qi Digital, UK, and Exergie, Nigeria. Her research attracts external funding from businesses and funding bodies. Her university’s student-industry collaborations are recognised by the London Chamber of Commerce, and her partnerships with local businesses are highly appreciated by both the business community and local authorities. Moreover, her research generates significant social impact, contributing to the sustainable growth of the economy with long-term socio-economic benefits.

Related Research Group(s)

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Entrepreneurship and Sustainability - Our focus is on how individuals, businesses and societies can tap into creative and entrepreneurial flair to develop innovative solutions, in order to not only create economic value, but also solve social and environmental problems.


Partnering with confidence

Organisations interested in our research can partner with us with confidence backed by an external and independent benchmark: The Knowledge Exchange Framework. Read more.


Project last modified 12/10/2023