SURVEY OF ICT AND EDUCATION IN AFRICA - infoDev

ICT Activities and Initiativesin Higher Education in AfricaTechnical/Vocational Education and TrainingAs used here, the term higher education refers to both universities as well as post-secondary institutions thatprovide technical and vocational (TVET) programmes. However, in terms of ICT applications, the conclusionfrom the reports is that there has been relatively little application of ICTs in the TVET sub-sector eitheras a teaching tool or to enhance access to programmes. The conclusion is corroborated in a statement by theCommonwealth of Learning (COL) and the Commonwealth Association of Polytechnics in Africa (CAPA)in advance of a seminar they co-sponsored in Sierra Leone in May 2007 that focused on integrating ICTand e-learning into TVET:Although ICT and e-learning is gaining ground as an effective pedagogical tool in higher education, TVETinstitutions and polytechnics in Africa are lagging behind. The reason appears to be lack of knowledge andexpertise in the use of these new technologies in the area of technical and vocational training, and theabsence of institutional and country policies on the integration of ICT and e-Learning into TVET.The point is further supported by the fact that the first-ever TVET summit was held prior to the SecondInternational Conference on ICT for Development, E-learning and Training held in Nairobi in May 2007.This summit was organised by UNESCO-UNEVOC and focused on access to and inclusion in TVET inAfrica through new ICT-based solutions.UniversitiesGenerally speaking, the capacity of African universities to lead the process of integrating ICT in education,as has been the case in most of the developed world, is woefully inadequate. They lack access to infrastructure,affordable and sufficient bandwidth, and the human resource capacity to exploit the technology. (Theseconstraints are summarised in more detail in another section of this report.) As a result, African universitiesare lagging behind in the global ICT context. The exceptions are universities in South Africa, and most ofthose in North Africa, where they have well-developed international relationships along with access to highspeedconnectivity.The Association of African Universities states that the development and application of ICT in African highereducation institutions is critically important if the continent is to reduce the knowledge, technological, andeconomic gaps between itself and the rest of the world. The survey reports indicate that this is starting tohappen, as the following points illustrate:nWith some exceptions (such as Kenya), universities are typically included in the ICT policies thathave been developed. In instances where they have not they are urged to develop their own ICTpolicies.www.infodev.org ICT Activities and Initiatives in Higher Education in Africa 13