Technological Infrastructure and Use of ICT in Education in ... - ADEA

86 Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning
The role of computers in schools is gaining increasing attention,
although usage is still limited in the African context. There are, as yet,
no examples of the use of computers in schools for distance education.
Instead, projects focusing on computers have tended to place greatest
attention on providing infrastructure to schools and on training of teachers
(this will be discussed in more detail below). There is also growing
evidence of computer use to improve the quality of schooling, as well
as computer use to teach learners about technology (thereby ensuring
they are better equipped for a society in which technology becomes
ever more central).
The World Links for Development (WorLD) programme is another
example of an initiative to meet the need for computers in schools
in several African countries, including Uganda, Botswana, and South
Africa. This programme aims to use technology to enhance education
and to prepare the youth of developing countries for participation in
the global information society. This programme focuses on five main
areas (Addo, 2001):
• Internet connectivity for secondary schools
• Training and educational content
• Regional and global partnerships
• Telecommunications policy advice for the education sector
• Monitoring and evaluation
Several interesting projects have been implemented under the auspices
of the WorLD programme (see Box 5).
9. ICT in Primary and Secondary Education
Clearly there have been various success stories when it comes to the
establishment of telecentres in schools. Nonetheless, there are still numerous
challenges to be faced, the most significant ones being the need
in many cases to find a reliable source of electric power, inadequate time
for the ICT coordinator to run the telecentre whilst still having to teach, and
identification of community needs in order to provide relevant services
(Mayanja, 2002; Bloome, 2002). An example of an initiative where some
of these issues were encountered is detailed in Box 6 below.
A recent audit of educational ICT projects in South Africa, focused at
school level, revealed 34 different school-related ICT projects. A wide
variety of implementation models existed, but most included the provision
of ICT infrastructure, connectivity, and training for educators and/or
learners. It was noted that projects focusing on curriculum development
and innovation, and global communication between schools, were lacking
in South Africa (SchoolNetSA, 2002).