Online education takes firmer footing in Africa
By HALIMA MUSA
Africa
is waking up to the opportunities in eLearning and even in countries
experiencing violent conflicts, thousands are acquiring new skills
and expanding their knowledge base through virtual education,
delegates at this year’s eLearning Africa conference in Dakar were
told.
While the cost of acquiring basic and advanced education has gone up
remarkably in reflection of global inflation, and educational
funding has shrunk in several African countries, many public and
private stakeholders including non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
have employed innovative methods using eLearning window to deliver
education to a growing number of people in large cities and remote
locations.
According
to the Chairman of the New Security Foundation, Dr Harold Elletson,
while addressing delegates on ‘post-conflict distance learning’ at
the eLearning Africa forum, “Over 100 million children still don’t
attend primary school. And, of these, 50 percent are in countries
which are either suffering from conflict or recovering from it …
[but] ‘distance learning’ offered some really attractive, exciting
and cost-effective options for developing or rebuilding education in
some of the most difficult places in the world.”
In Somalia, one of Africa’s troubled spots with nearly two decades
of violent conflicts; about 4,000 students from six universities
have undergone training in journalism courses delivered in English
Language. According to Sidiki Traore of the African Virtual
University, in the face of terrorism and piracy in Somalia, the AVU
in conjunction with its international partners has been able to
“enhance human capital and provide hope and life” to thousands who
would have been stranded by lack of opportunities through
conventional means to improve themselves.
More than 1,350 people from 83 countries took part in the fourth
eLearning Africa conference touted as the most comprehensive
conference on ICT for development, education and training on the
continent. The three days event held in Dakar, Senegal and was
declared open by Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade who outlined his
vision for radical changes in African education while condemning
European governments for restricting access for African students to
educational institutions in their countries. Europe has closed the
door for Africa and Africans to tap into the global education sector
in European countries, Wade said and commended the organizers of the
eLearning Africa conference 2009 for bringing stakeholders together
to improve educational access on the continent using ICT tools.
President
Wade has been in the fore-front of campaign to create the Digital
Solidarity Fund, a common funding geared at improving Africa’s
economic wellbeing through improve usage of ICT. Africans have a
duty to protect and advance their own educational goals, said Wade
“At a time when Europe closes its doors, at a time when Europe is
turning inwards, it is our duty to find a solution and eLearning is
a part of it.” He expressed delight to see “so many powerful minds
interested in eLearning,” adding that there can be no sustainable
development without education. His words: “We are rich in human
resources but they are wasted unless they are trained.”
The Dakar conference was a major meeting point for stakeholders to
galvanize ideas on improving the continent’s education future
through ICT. It also offered governments the much needed platform to
create a common ground to resolve some of the challenges faced by
the different countries. During the conference, fourteen African
environmental authorities agreed to create an African Environmental
eLearning Network to operate in the fourteen signatory countries.
The network will consist of a number of sub-regional hubs and
national eLearning centres. “One of the first tasks will be to
develop strategies and action plans to mainstream technology
supported learning to support their work in the areas of training,
education and awareness raising.”
The eLearning Africa conference is a yearly event organised by
Berlin based ICWE GmbH, an international conference organiser with a
focus on education and training. The Dakar meeting brought together
speakers and delegates from various backgrounds. In attendance were
ministers of education, senior government leaders, non-governmental
organisations, school and university educators, developmental
agencies and key business executives representing a variety of
public ministries, governments, development agencies, international
organisations and leading private companies from different
countries.
The fifth edition of the conference, eLearning Africa 2010, will
take place in Lusaka, Zambia.
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