Innovation, use of IT still low in East Africa schools

[Sandra Nassali]

Innovation and use of IT is still limited in universities in East Africa, according to a survey commissioned and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation.

The survey focused on accessibility, usage and availability of information communication technologies (ICT) services in 50 universities around the East African region, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

Only 43 percent of the 50 campuses surveyed are taking part in global IT competitions that would give them international recognition, according to the poll. Such competitions involve students or lecturers developing innovative software, and include events like the Google Cup, which takes place annually in Paris.

"Innovative projects give the universities more credibility in the world," said Meoli Kashorada, a lead investigator for the survey and professor at the United States International University (USIU) in Kenya. "This can be achieved both by students and lecturers."

The report indicates that the ratio of students to computers, and the lack of low-cost bandwidth, affects innovation and use of technology at the universities.

Rwandan universities had the best ratio, at an average of seven computers per 100 students. Elsewhere the survey found the ratio to be 6.8 per 100 students in Uganda; 5.2 per 100 students in Kenya; 2.7 per 100 students in Tanzania; and 1.5 per 100 students in Burundi.

The goal for these universities is to have 10 computers per 100 students, according to Kashorada.

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[Jannat]

Dear Sandra,
Thank you for presenting information on the facility of IT in African schools.I think,conditions in most countries of Asia are similar.Unless generous support for the promotion of IT is given to the educational establishments of the poor countries,the improvement in the interlinked areas of all countries will remain as remote possibility.Hence,I request the concerned companies and donor agencies to provide support on IT to the educational establishments of the poor countries.

[Alan Foo]

Dear Jannat,

I think it is not the lack of donations or commitments by companies or governments that inhibits the development of ICT in Africa or Asia.

If one is to look at how ICT is being implemented all over the developing countries, the biggest challenge actually is how to reach out to the rural areas... in short connectivities. This has been the subject in many African/Asian elearning conferences etc.

How are they doing it? Well, we all know that they are talking about getting expensive broadband to reach out.

If we are to look closely at the broadband approach, you will find that it will fail. First the atronomical cost of installations, next the affordabilities of the end users to use broadband is another.
Even if you have broadband , if the entire country logs in .. your server is dead anyway.

It is therefore not a surprise that even efforts by say UNESCO's EFA and FTI are not up to expectations.

Lots of money had been poured in, in the past. What is the result? Everyday we still read about trying to reach out to the rural poor. It will never end no matter how much money is poured into this direction. Donors do get tired of contributing.

That is why we at Paperless Homework has embarked on a program that reaches the rural poor without the need for broadband. More details check it out from our website www.paperlesshomework.com
and read how we overcome a host of problems ...even for free.

We sure hope that all telecenters/schools in the world would try out our solution for free for an entire year of contents and tools to create more contents.

Regards
Alan
www.paperlesshomework.com
Specialist in closing the digital divides for a greener world without broadband

[Alan Foo]

Yes, it shall remain so for some time.

To help to overcome this, we are able to empower the teachers throughout Africa plus enable students to access contents that can be shared.

To do this, we are giving every school, telecenter, Unviersity, Kindergratens a free set of our AGE tools current and future contents.

We believe by initiating a seed everywhere to have free software, the drive to have computers will increase organically. Students/parents once able to access to good contents would start buying computers.
As it is, there is very little incentive to do so and have to depend on the poor government to do so. Hence we do expect this problem to prolong for some time. We just hope we can help to overcome African education through the use of our AGE tools and contents that can reach any part of Africa in "no time".

Check us our at www.paperlesshomework.com

[Sandra Nassali]

Hello Allan, thanks for sharing this information...checked out the link and it is interesting. Sure, i am going to share it on the UgaBYTES mailing list as it reaches many ICT4D networks in Africa.

Regards

[Elijah Phiri]

The most problem as stated by one above, is how to roll out the ICT to the rural areas. This has been my area of focus, in case i get a fund, it should start from the rural areas b4 it is done in the cities