Evaluating ICT for Education in Africa - Royal Holloway, University of ...

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8.3.2 Plasma teachersThe Ethiopia SchoolNet programme is one component within a plan todevelop the digital infrastructure of the country through the national telecomoperator, the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (The Guardian 4August 2005). It forms a central part of the Ethiopian National E-educationInitiative (ENEDI) which is „aimed at facilitating the deployment and theexploitation of ICTs to facilitate, teaching and learning processes within theEthiopian school system‟ (MoCB 2006 p.185).The aim of this programme, as previously mentioned in section 4.3.3, is toprovide education through televisions for each secondary school in thecountry. As Hare (2007 p.5) explains, „classrooms in schools are equippedwith plasma screens and receive lessons via video broadcast for eight hours aday by satellite TV with content from the Educational Media Agency‟. Thedecision to broadcast lessons directly into the classrooms was taken in thelight of the challenges many schools faced in relation to teacher quality andclass sizes. The programme operates as a satellite based network designed tolink schools together and access the Internet through a download-only VSATsatellite connection (EICTDA 2005).Despite the impetus surrounding deployment, the programme hasencountered widespread criticism since its introduction in 2005. Indeed,senior advisors from some bilateral donors had been highly critical of theprogramme even before its introduction (Unwin pers. comm. 2009). Thesustained criticism surrounding the programme forced Cisco Systems,previously a significant contractor for Ethiopian TelecommunicationsCorporation, to withdraw, leaving Chinese companies to fill the gap. Thegovernment insisted that a pilot project for the introduction of the plasmascreens was unnecessary and its insistence on an immediate national role outwas, according to an anonymous source (25/04/08), the point at which theWorld Bank also pulled out from the programme:„I spoke with a man from the World Bank regarding thereason SchoolNet was rushed out so quickly. He said that itwas because of the forthcoming election [in 2005]. It was seen328
as a good way to communicate with people all around thecountry – especially through the civics lesson ... It waspropaganda. One of the stated aims of the education system isto “Develop Good Citizens”. It is unusual for this to be anexplicit goal within a national education mandate – othercountries would frame it differently. There is a political angle.‟This political angle alluded to by the anonymous source was not financialmotivation but rather cultural force. He considered that the driving forcebehind the initiative was the national self-perception of being an uncolonisedcountry that served as an example for Africa to follow. Linked tothis is the government aspiration for political control, with the promotion ofgovernment endorsed civics lessons through ICT an ideal opportunity to gainpolitical support (Gagliardone 2005). The same source noted that utilisingtechnology for the purposes of gaining political control is not uncommon inEthiopia (25/04/08):„We talk a lot about educational philosophy but that is notwhat they were thinking about ... There is a long tradition ofcommunication and technology being associated with controlin Ethiopia. In 1893 Menelik introduced the first telephone line– with the aim of having been information regarding hisempire and thus greater control over it.‟The plasma screen case study demonstrates one way in which an ICT foreducation programme can become blurred with a more politically drivenagenda. As stated in The Guardian (4 August 2005 p.1) „Ethiopia's ITprogramme is an extreme example of the aspiration of several Africancountries to leap out of their quagmire of decaying public services with thehelp of IT‟. Recognition of the position of ICT as both a political andeconomic tool is significant in enabling effective monitoring and evaluationto take place, as explored in section 6.3 regarding motivation for partnership.The educational outcomes that a researcher anticipates as the primarymeasure of programme success may in fact be superseded by politicalaspirations, sometimes explicit and other times imperceptible without329
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the research findings to emphasise
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3.4.5 Drawings ....................
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5.4.1 Plurality of methods ........
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8.3 Implications of aspiration ....
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List of figuresFigure 2.1: MDGs (UN
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List of appendicesAppendix A: Resul
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NOLNet Namibian Open Learning Netwo
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I began this PhD two weeks after mo
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number of ICT for education program
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innovative alternatives, and the ce
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2.2 Substance, rationale and approa
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progress towards the EFA goals has
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The critique posed to the market th
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etween these two extremes as a resu
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promoted to become „the character
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appropriate application in recognit
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can instigate both harm and good, i
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Such an undertaking is central to t
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- Availability of computer networks
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assisting towards this end. The imp
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eing rooted in specific socio-cultu
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evaluation: „An evaluation carrie
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Central within this is recognising
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2.6.2 Maturing of the disciplineEar
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that conceptualises ICT for develop
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2006). This also requires the adopt
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attempt to impose overarching solut
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currently the lowest available „p
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Garcia-Montes et al. 2006). This is
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However, despite such claims and th
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into knowledge and applied in life
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dependent upon an increased emphasi
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that ICT is having on education in
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3. Methodology3.1 IntroductionThe p
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2004) and instead focused on utilis
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evaluation of ICT and development p
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ICT for development programmes (Hee
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organisations, explanation of the p
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3.3.1 EuroTalk LtdEuroTalk (http://
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further two weeks in Ethiopia in De
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I was invited by InWEnt to particip
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planning and implementation they co
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the one on the adjacent line. This
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drawings was as a precursor to anci
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Photo 3.3: Students completing the
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prior to implementation of the prog
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provided regular opportunity for se
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for education in Africa from a list
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conversations with respondents, as
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partially based on the flawed notio
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in the research then all those unab
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motivational and aspirational techn
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In the light of the complex challen
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It cannot be guaranteed that resear
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Embrace the heterogeneity of commun
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The majority of the research encoun
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which each received 20 devices for
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Figure 4.1: ICT for development pol
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Photo 4.1: Students exploring the I
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and engaged with children, teachers
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the programme with all of them havi
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widespread lack of textbooks and in
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esources but also that it serves to
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in order to reflect the involvement
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Photo 4.4: Students in Ethiopia exp
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on the donation of solar panels fro
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Photo 4.6: Teacher training in Rema
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4.3.10 Programme futureThe XO 5000
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4.4.3 The importance of ICT for edu
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theme focussed on the lack of budge
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esponses, three dominant themes eme
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The experience of interacting with
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„In the institutions we have work
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Access to a wide variety of resourc
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assessment that emphasised the tran
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have been mitigated had the project
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and the need for sustained probing.
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Descriptionof methodFocus groupsLoc
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Classroomobservations24 in Malawi a
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5.3.1 Baseline testingDiscussion at
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indicated that although apparently
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The lack of evidence from the basel
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Choose the correct answer and write
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eflection upon the format suitabili
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you can follow that. It gives you g
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Following the final iteration of gr
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the method within its appropriate c
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more innovative approach to catalys
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to identify significant themes that
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„Everything that the teachers wro
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(Shurmer-Smith 2002, Herbert 2000).
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5.4 Lessons for effective operation
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and be provided with research assis
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problematic problem but it is the o
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elieving that methods that are base
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teachers maintaining many external
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weekend then they will be there and
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coffee and dancing together in a ro
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emphases can serve to reinforce eac
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eferring back to previous experienc
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Tilahun reflected on the reasons be
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The limited emphasis on quantifying
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5.5 Implications for capacity devel
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improve and build capacity. Similar
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These issues allude to the bigger p
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esponses to questions regarding par
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Month Activity Challenges Strengths
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communicate alternative withappropr
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EuroTalk are keen for thefindings t
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6.2 Why partnership?The contributor
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(Unwin 2005b). The notion of tri-se
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assess the efficacy of the partners
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6.3.1 Contrasting bottom linesPartn
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to engage with the development pote
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that could be distributed specifica
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sector was the most significant cha
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My suggestion that I might speak wi
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approach is found in assessing the
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the fieldwork. The effect of the ob
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(13/04/08). Although prevented from
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„We should have worked more close
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since the language being used faile
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demonstrated in an interview with E
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discussions and various unsuccessfu
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of partnership (Marriot and Goyder
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„‟When we think of monitoring s
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the impact on ECBP from spending ti
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„It has to do with the history of
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6.7.2 Potential to redefine practic
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monitoring and evaluation can provi
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Photo 7.2: Desks and benches in cla
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quantifying educational outputs. It
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of technology within education in A
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pedagogies, and new approaches to t
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eLearning in Africa. Training was h
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Second, alongside the enthusiasm ma
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9.5 Education: a final wordThe thes
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BibliographyAAG, 2009. Statement of
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Batchelor, S., Evangelista, S., Hea
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Development Department Education Gr
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learning: a sourcebook for evaluato
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evaluation in education. Studies in
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DFID, 2008. Private sector developm
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EFA, 2001. Dakar framework for acti
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Fadel, C. and Lemke, L. 2006. Techn
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G8, 2007. Growth and responsibility
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Greene, J., 2005. Mixed methods. In
Page 401 and 402:
Harrow, J., 2001. Capacity building
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Hine, C., 2005. Virtual methods and
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Illich, I., 1969. Celebration of aw
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Oliver, G., (ed) 2005. Maitland+20:
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Lasonen, J., Kemppainen, R., and Ra
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Mansell, R., 2005. The fragility of
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Mercer, C., 2006. Telecentres and t
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Mutume. G., 2006. Harnessing the in
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Olukoshi, A., 2006. African scholar
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Paul, R. and Elder, L. 2005. The mi
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Roy, S., 2005. Globalisation, ICT a
Page 423 and 424:
Shadish, W, Cook, T. and Campbell D
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Sperling, G., 2008. A global educat
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Thomas, J, 1996. Introduction: a de
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UNESCO, 2006a. Teachers and educati
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Unwin, T., 2009a. Conclusions. In U
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Walker, J, 2005. Self-determination
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Winch, C., 2005. Autonomy as an edu
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Appendices437
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439
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441
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Interviewee Company Details of Resp
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UK LtdJohn Connell Cisco Brief resp
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Appendix C: Sample of Malawi indivi
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Tell me, when you see a school like
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Appendix D: Sample of Ethiopia stud
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classes‟.For final question promp
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Children InformationInformation fro
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Appendix F: Sample of Malawi focus
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Appendix G: Sample of Ethiopia teac
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esponsibility of being apilot schoo
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laptop make to the livesof the chil
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How have you found thisdiscussion?O
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demonstrate, the eight questions an
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the technology solution and initiat
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made that rule. At the weekend I pl
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When you are writing the diary plea
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Do you think the laptops and Akili
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done?..............................
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...................................
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Appendix M: Baseline test in Malawi
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HIV?a. Yesb. No5. Are there medicin
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It is important that the test is co
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Teachers can teach students how to
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Maths1. What is the LCM of 5, 10 an
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HealthPlease explain how you can co
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- Please explain why you think thes
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495
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In wanting to do the best evaluatio
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Baselines (inc. retrospective const
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Appendix Q: Report from eLA worksho
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Incorporating more qualitative meth
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Breakout workshop 3 - DonorsProblem
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It is difficult to ensure the objec
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appease donors and secure future fu
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to demonstrate thatsomething works
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Insights regarding effective evalua
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Appendix S: Data table from Malawi
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A 10% increase in correct answers r
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with headgain overall perspective o
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