Of the approximately 120,000 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) candidates who qualify to join public university each year, less than 25% gain entry. And with job opportunities being few and far between (most needing college or university papers) the future seems bleak for those who fail to gain entry.

Enter Kenya’s immersion in andnewly-found emphasis on eLearning. By emulating a classroom setup with interactive lectures, quizzes and library access, these virtual-education portals are increasing the opportunities for higher learning. In the last 10 years, traditional universities such as Kenyatta, CUEA and Maseno have begun to partner with international universities and organizations to introduce eLearning courses on and off campus. Still, it is veteran institutions, such as the African Virtual University (AVU), who are setting the pace.

Established in 1997, AVU is an intergovernmental organization that currently operates in 14 African states (including Kenya). Chiefly offering courses in Mathematics and Science, the university started as a “reaction to the lack of quality teachers in these fields,” explains Senior ICT Officer Declan Ottaro, during a recent demonstration class offered this July. UP was among the group of participants taken through the motions of a typical AVU classroom session. In order to “attend” a virtual class, students need a stable Internet connection for at least two hours (classes are typically one hour or more), a computing device and a headset.

The most interesting part of the demonstration was using the web conferencing program, Elluminate Live! As we tested and fiddled with the application, we were able to chat with one another (also using a plethora of emoticons), scribble notes on the whiteboard available onscreen and call the instructor’s attention by “raising our hands” (there’s a hand icon that flashes to alert the lecturer).

While it made a strong attempt to match up to the traditional classroom, there are obvious shortcomings. This class—or any other such real-time virtual teaching space—requires expensive computing devices accessible over long periods of time. Strangely, fee structures are not available online and calls to AVU offices went unanswered). Also, the use of a mixed mode of delivery that utilizes online and face-to-face training is an extra cost to the students, as they have to travel to partnering institutions on these occasions, as well as at exam times. The number of courses available also pales in comparison to those at a typical university.

That said, eLearning has gone a long way in availing educational opportunities for many of those who’ve been turned away from public universities and cannot afford private ones. (Since its inception 15 years ago, over 40,000 students have been successfully trained in AVU’s Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) programs.)

One such happy customer is Patricia Mwansa Chileshe, an ICT Basic Skills student. “This course has changed the face of my life. I’m able to do so many things that I struggled to do earlier, like preparing lessons, typing exercises and tests, keeping records of my students and many more other personal things.” So if you are among those who aspire to get that higher degree, these virtual portals might be the solution.