Tech-MODE for Agricultural Education and Improved Livelihoods in ...

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SYNTHESIS OF EIGHT COUNTRY CASE STUDIES courses in both English and French. A national forum on distance education in 2003 with support from COL – not specifically for agriculture – identified opportunities, strengths, obstacles and constraints. In Ghana, ODL existed for long time, especially for the upgrading of teachers. ODL for continuing agricultural education through collaboration with COL is new. Extension programmes by NGOs through Tech-MODE are still limited. In Kenya, the University of Nairobi provides ODL in sciences, while other universities concentrate on humanities. The only notable Tech-MODE is AGORA – an information service of FAO – for NARS and faculties of agriculture. Some NGOs use ICT in their work with farmers. Extension and training programmes for farmers use technologies from research institution, such as the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and universities. The government is in the process of e-enabling all 4000 secondary schools. Several institutions offer a high potential and a favourable environment to implement Tech-MODE. In Nigeria, the potential for Tech-MODE in agriculture concentrates around the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) and the civil society Total Development International Foundation (TODEV). In Uganda, ODL existed at the Makerere University since 1953 in the form of inservice training. Recently, blended ODL arrangements have been initiated to include several programs. The Department of Distance Education offers a diploma course jointly with the Open University of Tanzania. Internet kiosks offer ICT access to students, yet the demand is overwhelmingly high. Makerere University is undertaking substantial efforts on improvement of infrastructure as well as staff development. The Institute of Computing and Information Technology is a regional referral centre for ICT training. In the area of agriculture, a recent distance education project involves Makere University with the Universities of Nairobi and Florida and the International Center of Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Apart from Makere University, only Martyr’s University offers Bachelor of Agriculture through ODL. Telecentre projects for farmer training are also evolving. Recently, Makerere University and several Kenyan universities came together for a collaborative venture on “Strengthening of university capacity for promoting, facilitating and teaching rural innovation processes”. Sierra Leone is still struggling with basic infrastructure. Nevertheless, community radios with telephoning programmes and discussions are proliferating. Tanzania has good experiences with telecentres. The Sokoine University of Agriculture offers technical ICT expertise and staff motivation. Potential for collaboration exists between the Sokoine University of Agriculture and the Open University of Tanzania. 8 ■ TECH-MODE FOR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES
SYNTHESIS OF EIGHT COUNTRY CASE STUDIES In Zambia, shortly after independence, different forms of ODL emerged for specific educational and training needs, including agriculture. Zambian institutions historically provided ODL at several educational levels. Other ODL initiatives include in-service training, cooperative training, radio farm forums and others. Today, the potential of ODL is widely recognized. The government is committed to distance education and adopted ODL as an educational strategy in both formal and non-formal education. Also NGOs and international institutions invest in ODL. Thus, ODL is becoming increasingly attractive, although formal ODL in agriculture does not exist as yet. The infrastructure may still be rudimentary, and socioeconomic conditions may affect the adoption of Tech-MODE. However, facilities and resources for Tech-MODE are plentifully available. In general, existing ODL is mostly dual-mode, print based, and with little or no use of ICT. However, developments are encouraging, and a wide potential is available for the implementation of Tech-MODE. 8 Recommendations and conclusions The recommendations resulting from the country case studies encompass a wide area that cannot be covered by COL alone. Eventually, COL has to decide what recommendations fall within its purview and what recommendations must be shared with other partners. The recommendations presented here originate from two sources – a workshop on Tech-MODE related to the country case studies, and the country reports. The Tech-MODE workshop began a few days before the COL-FARA Side Event, at the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) Nairobi in continuation of a workshop on agricultural open educational resources (AOER), also organized by COL. The workshop followed a specific procedure (Annexure 1). It workshop continued at the Side Event. Participants identified a great number of concerns and classified them into five interrelated subject categories: policy, infrastructure, socio-economy, capacity building and collaboration (Figures 1 and 2). For each of the subject categories, the working groups listed a number of recommendations for consideration by COL, FARA and other interested organizations: Policy • Support awareness and advocacy initiatives, targeting policy makers at all levels. • Facilitate the integration of Tech-MODE into the mainstream formal educational system at all levels. • Facilitate policy formulation and implementation at national level in an integrated manner in the areas of information and communication technologies (ICT), open and distance learning (ODL) and intellectual property rights (IPR) that result in increased and improved access without gender and generation barriers. • Engage in advocacy dialogue for promoting access to Internet connectivity to various stakeholders especially the marginalized. TECH-MODE FOR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES ■ 9
Page 1 and 2: Technology-Mediated Open and Distan
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STATUS, OPPORTUNITIES, POTENTIAL AN
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6.2 Challenges STATUS AND POTENTIAL
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Extension (e.g. NAADS) Government (
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