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

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knowledge, connect with children from places previouslyunknown, and engage in education in such a way that willcarry their interest in learning throughout the entirety of theirlives.‟In assuming the position of advocate for the „poor African child‟, it is naturalto dismiss anyone who suggests an alternative perspective. Within such anidealised narrative, any critique is considered a hurdle or barrier that must beovercome in order to remain faithful to the initial quest (Krstic 2008). Ratherthan engage with critical reflection and research that could form a valuableaddition to constructive dialogue surrounding this complex initiative, suchcontributions are simply dismissed as undermining the mission. Suchresponses demonstrate the overall initiative ethos and translate into practicaldecisions taken in three deployment countries of Ethiopia, Rwanda andUruguay.8.4.4 OLPC in EthiopiaThe OLPC ethos translates into practical decisions regarding appropriatedeployment. This was exemplified by the XO 5000 programme in Ethiopia,when OLPC advised that 1 laptop be reserved for every 100 deployed,totalling 50 back-up machines for the programme, in case there were any thatwere faulty and needed replacing. This suggests somewhat naïve confidencein the quality of the XO (Krstic 2008), especially considering the 25% failurerate over a three month period in one early trial in Ethiopia (Everts et al.2008). The confident optimism promoted by OLPC resonates with theaspirations of prospective government clients and is palatable for leaderseager to buy into the rhetoric of progress and high visibility technologicaladvancement (Simon 2003, Wainwright 2008).I spoke to an advisor within the MoE regarding his perspective on therationale for the initiative (28/04/08). He explained:„With OLPC the emphasis is definitely on the technology ratherthan the education. It is the same as happened with theplasmas. It looks good, it is sexy and it makes us look good340
and powerful if we have OLPC here in Ethiopia. Of coursethere is no opportunity cost that has been thought through oranything like that. No critical thinking as to whether it is thebest use of resources.‟Again, this demonstrates an emphasis on aspiration, power and politicalagendas rather than a critical assessment of educational sustainability. Figure8.1 is constructed from the IMF World Economic Outlook (2008), CIA WorldFact Book (2009) and EFA Global Monitoring Report (2009) anddemonstrates comparative figures from Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uruguay. It isimportant to note that the figures for cost of laptop as proportion of GDP percapita should not be calculated on the basis of purchasing power parity, as iscommon, but as a direct figure because the laptops are a fixed-price import.341
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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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in Ethiopia meant that the monitori
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„Akili has big potential - becaus
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„The main problem we are facing i
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colonial approach‟ (09/12/08) to
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The aim of providing free and unive
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Photo 7.4: Lessons in Malawi conduc
Page 289 and 290: Photo 7.5: Girls in Rema herding go
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Page 293 and 294: Teachers in Rema (22/04/08) gave a
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Page 317 and 318: has received some attention (Naraya
Page 319 and 320: The traditional dominant narrative
Page 321 and 322: Children reported that they felt mo
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Page 325 and 326: and 2 compared to Standard 3 and 4.
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Page 329 and 330: as a good way to communicate with p
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Page 343 and 344: If every child in Ethiopia who is e
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Page 347 and 348: However, as is now explored, the ve
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Page 351 and 352: 8.5.2 Private sector needs creation
Page 353 and 354: merely another context within which
Page 355 and 356: Commodity fetishism through aspirat
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Page 359 and 360: „As we are a part of globalizatio
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Page 371 and 372: It is therefore my hope that the me
Page 373 and 374: 9.2.5 Ongoing potential for transfo
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Page 377 and 378: esearch undertaken for this thesis.
Page 379 and 380: 9.5 Education: a final wordThe thes
Page 381 and 382: BibliographyAAG, 2009. Statement of
Page 383 and 384: Batchelor, S., Evangelista, S., Hea
Page 385 and 386: Development Department Education Gr
Page 387 and 388: learning: a sourcebook for evaluato
Page 389 and 390: evaluation in education. Studies in
Page 391 and 392:
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
Page 403 and 404:
Hine, C., 2005. Virtual methods and
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Illich, I., 1969. Celebration of aw
Page 407 and 408:
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
Page 415 and 416:
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
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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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