Week Seven - Task 2: Africa's e-learning conference

Read Africa e-learning conference. Comment on e-learning issues, problems, how they manage it, if use of ICT is helping or not.

I have chosen to focus on Zambia, and e-learning becoming a solution to health problems in the education system. http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/news164.php

In Zambia, education starts as an optional pre-school level, followed by a compulsory primary education which begins at age seven. This is followed by secondary education which starts at age fourteen, however as the government places focus on primary education, only one third of children at primary school actually go on to secondary school (Isaacs).

Cholera (a disease which is caught by contaminated water) is very common in Zambia in the rainy seasons and has an effect on students being able to attend school along with other problems such as strikes, weather conditions and political disturbances.

An outbreak of the disease in Southern Zambia effected many students at the beginning of this year, as the Ministry of Education banned the opening of schools at the beginning of term until the disease was under control. This prompted students in the area to protest against this decision as pupils from other areas were allowed to continue their studies despite the fact they will all be taking the same exams at the end of the academic year.

The chairperson of e-learning in Zambia, Professor Thompson Sinkala, pointed out “in such a situation, technology-enhanced learning would come in handy… Pupils would not have to miss their lessons as they would access their teachers’ lessons through either an Internet cafe or from home or any convenient place”. On top of this, it was also suggested that e-learning would also enhance people’s awareness of the disease which in turn would cut down the number of breakouts. Zambia currently have a radio programme called ‘Tonga Market’ which is for students who need to improve their grades, however it is not a broadly developed scheme.

In the article, there was a quote from a secondary school student agreeing with the need for education to become electronic. He said that many students used electronic devices such as iPods, CD-players and mobile phones, adding that parents should be able to afford these items for their children as the prices were dropping. However, Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with three quarters of households living on one US dollar a day (Isaacs). It seems a suitable medium for e-learning would be the radio, as this is the only broadcasting means found in nearly every home in Zambia. They already have the ‘Tonga Market’ scheme, which could be developed to the wider range of students needing education when they can’t physically go to school.

As e-learning in this case would not be replacing students going to school, just stepping in in times of crisis, the concept would work quite well. There would be no problems of not having access to printed materials or tutors as students could take the print copies home with them when they are told the school will be closing, and ask any questions upon their return.
I think that if the Ministry of Education and the government could set up an e-learning radio based initiative for times when students cannot make school due to closure, students across the country would be receiving a fair and equal education, which could in turn encourage more children to continue their education.

Isaacs, S. (2007) “ICT in Education in Zambia” Survey of ICT and education in Africa: Zambia Country Report, http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.436.html