| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to examine the role of Non-Governmental Organizations
in bridging the digital literacy access gap in public primary schools in Buuri and Isiolo
sub-counties. The study used a comparative approach, comparing access in schools with
NGO sponsorship and those without. The objectives were: to assess the availability of
digital learning infrastructures in NGO-sponsored and non-sponsored public primary
schools in Buuri and Isiolo sub-counties; to assess the functionality of digital learning
infrastructures in sponsored and non-sponsored schools; to assess the Digital Literacy
programme (DLP) capacity-building programs in sponsored and non-sponsored public
primary schools; and to evaluate the relevance of digital content in sponsored and non-
sponsored public primary schools. The study was guided by Jan Van Dijk’s Theory of
Digital Technology Access and Social Impacts. The researcher used a descriptive
research design, and the location of the study was Buuri and Isiolo sub-counties in Meru
and Isiolo counties respectively. The study targeted 79 public primary schools in the 2
sub-counties, 79 headteachers, 79 ICT teachers, 2,192 Grade 6 learners, and their 79
Grade 6 class teachers. The researcher selected a 20% sample to get 16 schools, 16
headteachers, 16 ICT teachers, and 16 class teachers. Purposive sampling techniques
were used to select 11 schools with NGO sponsorship while simple random sampling
was used to select 5 schools without sponsorship for the comparative sample. Systematic
random sampling was used to get a 15% sample from the learners – 329 Grade 6 learners.
Data was collected using questionnaires, interview schedules, and observation checklists.
The questionnaires were tested and re-tested with 7% of the sample – 1 school.
Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to test the reliability of the instruments, and the
instruments were found reliable with all registering coefficients of 0.707, 0.922, and
0.817 respectively. Descriptive data was analyzed using percentages, mean, and standard
deviation scores, while data from interviews was organized into themes and reported
using quotes and narration alongside the findings from descriptive data. The findings
showed that sponsored schools have better access to digital literacy, with the mean scores
of data on each of the four objectives being much higher and standard deviation scores
lower than the scores of the non-sponsored schools. Data showed that sponsored schools
have better infrastructure, more functional digital gadgets, more regular DLP training
programs, and better interactive digital content. Simple regression analysis showed that
NGO-sponsored schools had lower p-values than the non-sponsored schools for all the
variables in all the four objectives. These results indicate significant differences in
infrastructure availability, functionality of the infrastructure, training programs and the
relevance of the digital content available, supporting the rejection of the null hypotheses.
The study concludes that schools with NGO sponsorship have better access to digital
literacy and recommends among other things, more NGO support for other public
primary schools, more structured and intense in-service training of teachers, and further
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