[A12n-forum] Fwd: Media Statement 3 ICTs in African schools

["Don Osborn" <dzo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This item re a workshop earlier this year might be of interest.  
Unfortunately the report doesn't mention the issue of languages at 
all, but I do know that Schoolnet Africa, one of the organizers of 
the workshop, is cognizant of multilingual issues, including work 
on "a Content Localisation System which will attempt to use both 
automated and human translation systems in all official and local 
languages in Africa" (mentioned at 
http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/index.php?id=157 ).  From 
correspondence with Schoolnet Africa I understand that they currently 
use human translators only, but have a system for keeping track of 
that work and for the translators to access it.

Don Osborn
Bisharat.net


--- In wwwedu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Information Resource Centre" 
<irc@xxxx> wrote:
Media Statement 3 ICTs in African schools 
A workshop for education practitioners and policy makers
Gaborone International Convention Centre, Gaborone, Botswana, April 
28 - May 2, 2003 www.schoolnetafrica.net/IAS2003 
<http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/IAS2003>

Historic Pan African Workshop Attended by 200 delegates.

Gaborone, the capital of Botswana was the site of the first 
historical meeting of 200 education policy-makers, practitioners and 
development agencies. The policy-makers and practitioners were from 
28 African countries. In total, there were participants from 35 
countries internationally. Speakers representing these countries and 
agencies focused on various aspects of using ICT in the education 
system in Africa. Key topics covered in this workshop included the 
potential and challenges of ICTs in African education, integrating 
ICT use into the curriculum, content and capacity building, 
appropriate educational technologies in Africa, achieving 
affordability and sustainability and Pan African initiatives for the 
future.

President Wade of Senegal, who leads the ICT program of the New 
Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), sent by fax a resounding 
message of support and encouragement to the workshop delegates to 
promote education in Africa through ICTs. He highlighted the idea 
of "digital solidarity" in bridging the divide between the 
information-haves and information-have-nots in Africa. President Wade 
further called for the establishment of a global solidarity fund to 
support the digital solidarity process. 

The workshop was opened by the Honourable Kgeledi Kgoroba, Minister 
of Education, Botswana who noted that this event was historical in 
that it brought together education policy makers, ICT in education 
practitioners and development agencies to focus on the issues that 
affect and guide the use of ICT in education. He further noted that 
this workshop is important to identify future initiatives for 
implementation to enable the African learner to become part of the 
modern world.

Professor Peter Kinyanjui, the NEPAD Commissioner on e-Schools, 
reinforced this message. He outlined the thinking of NEPAD regarding 
the use of ICT in education and identified Schoolnet Africa and the 
work being done as an important part of the e-schools initiative. He 
indicated that NEPAD's e-schools program has set the goal of every 
secondary school leaver to be ICT-literate by 2014.

In closing this workshop, the Honourable Lephimotse Sebetlala, 
Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Botswana noted 
that the time for emotional arguments to use ICT in African Schools 
was over. He stressed that for too long Africa used emotional reasons 
for investment and to develop education. He challenged the workshop 
participants, as they ended the meeting, to develop sound educational 
and economic arguments for the use of ICT in the education system. He 
correctly noted that only with sound and well-argued reasons (with 
facts and figures), good policies and implementation plans would 
governments commit funds and the donor agencies and private sector 
invest.

At the end of the five days, participants identified the following 
initiatives as important for follow-up by Schoolnet Africa and the 
partners involved in this workshop. 

-     Policy on ICT in Education with baseline studies - video 
documentary of continent-wide promising practices, policy documents 
and statements, implementation plans and research, capacity building 
seminars for development and implementation of policies.

-     Building capacity in human resources - including building the 
pre and in-service teacher training system to use ICT, reports on 
effective models for teacher training, development of distance 
learning teacher training courses, training on establishment and 
management of schoolnet organizations, schoolnet champions and 
technical training.

-     Information sharing via a clearing house - with Schoolnet 
Africa's Education Knowledge Warehouse being the 'clearing house' 
where ICT in education policy documents, teacher training models and 
resources, specifications for refurbished computers, using ICT for 
different subjects, subject based resources, research into issues 
like e-rates, using different technology platforms, open source 
software vs. propriety software, etc will be housed. Other documents 
and information will include annual reports on the current 
developments in ICT in Education on the continent.


-       Gender - that attention is given to mainstreaming gender 
issues in ICT in education programs such as engendering ICT in 
education policy and that specific projects to advance women and 
girls in education be considered.

-     Technology developments - for example the establishment of 
refurbishment centres as part of job-creation and support to the 
school system that uses refurbished computers.  Also, global advocacy 
to lobby the private sector to donate refurbished computers at a 
greater quantity and reduced cost.

-     Advocacy - working with governments, institutions and agencies 
to clearly articulate the value of ICTs to the education system and 
to the countries economy and society.

      Research - development of a baseline evaluation of prevalence 
of ICT in schools, evaluation of the impact of ICT on teaching and 
learning in the classroom, to include the development of open 
standards for educational software, identifying actual costs and 
benefits, how to assess and evaluate the use of ICT, using ICT to 
support learners with special needs, etc.


These projects will be shared by organizations represented at the 
conference and the conference proceedings and results will be shared 
with broadly with governments including heads of state.

The workshop organisers wish to extend their thanks to all who 
participated and contributed to make this a historic and successful 
event. 

A comprehensive report will be available on this site 
<http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/IAS2003/> on 2 June 2003


ISSUED BY:

Workshop Organising Committee:

Botswana Ministry of Education (<http://www.gov.bw/moe/index.html>)
Commonwealth of Learning (www.col.org <http://www.col.org>)
International Institute for Communication and Development 
(<http://www.iicd.org/>)
Schoolnet Africa (www.schoolnetafrica.net 
<http://www.schoolnetafrica.net>)
The World Bank Institute (www.worldbank.org 
<http://www.worldbank.org>)

For more information contact Vis Naidoo at vnaidoo@xxxx 
<mailto:vnaidoo@xxxx> or 1 - 604 - 775 8261 (Vancouver, Canada) or 
Lawase Akpolou at l.akpolou@xxxx <mailto:a.akpolou@xxxx>.
--- End forwarded message ---