[AfrICANN-discuss] Africas Storied Colleges, Jammed and Crumbling

Tue May 22 17:56:58 SAST 2007

I agree Yassin, and I think we are shooting in the same
direction. If those issues were higher on the political agenda,
I think you'd agree that the problems you're pointing to can be
tremendously more "affordable" (am trying to avoid the term
"easier" but you get the point.)

In Senegal probably more than anywhere else, there is a social
willingness to mobilize and value local content and indigenous
knowledge (note: I'm not equating both.) A fellow Senegalese who
attended Boston U. as Humphrey Fellow was telling me how he
appreciated the pedagogical value of the case studies that the
professors get out of the students as teaching materials. And he
was excited about the wealth of cases that could be done locally
in Senegal (and sometimes better support teaching than textbooks
done by others and dating one or two decades back), and he
started thinking of lauching that kind of business in Dakar
since the university and the profs are not doing it (he's
international finance expert ;))

Re. policy agenda and attention, I'm not sure, for example, how
much difference the Digital Solidarity Fund will make for
Africa, but I'm sure if these issues were given half of the
attention that high profile policymakers gave to DSF, that would
make a real difference (at national level... sometimes the
international processes are diversion.) Unfortunately when
there's no such enabling environment, individual initiatives get
quickly diluted and sometimes, maybe often, discouraging and
discouraged.

Mawaki

--- Dr Yassin Mshana <ymshana2003 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks Mawaki,
> 
> Talking about Distance-Learning to compliment Residential
> (Campus) teaching,
> Yes! that has worked (but is limited) for example the African
> Virtual
> University and also the GDLN of the World Bank Institute - it
> is possible
> but sustainability has been the main issue.
> 
> Regarding Local Content to fill the pipes, Yes again! My
> observation is that
> there is a substantial quality of local content. The problem
> is the
> Perceived Value it has been given. Those who are still in or
> have passed the
> teaching profession will tell you more about the frustration -
> development
> of content requires  Commitment, Time, Talent and......Funds
> (money). When
> it comes to funds.... you can guess that answer - local
> priorities kills it
> all....
> 
> The main issue here is, "What can be done  Yesterday?"
> 
> Effort is being made of course but we have to look at our
> selves and ask,
> "What can I do now to contribute towards the effort being
> made?"
> 
> Distance-Learning is still the main component of the solution,
> packing and
> delivery of the content is the challenge.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Yassin
> 
> On 22/05/07, Mawaki Chango <ki_chango at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > just catching up. indeed, the story is just as real as
> > troubling, but looked from the technological angle and
> context,
> > even more puzzling!
> >
> > a few years ago, I had the privilege to coordinate a
> UNESCO's
> > distant education project (a little, pilot project)
> addressing
> > telecentre managers. we were using the Worldspace radio with
> a
> > software package called CLASS (combined live audio and slide
> > show). the lectures were delivered through dialup from
> Maputo,
> > Kampala and Ecuador, and the students in 5 or 6 countries
> > including Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
> The
> > class went well with synchronous communication including
> slides
> > and graphics as well as voice.
> >
> > The main problem encountered was preparing the
> infrastucture:
> > setting the radio antenna in the line of sight of Afristar
> (the
> > Worldspace sattellite beam on Africa.)
> >
> > That kind of technology has further developed since. Now
> there
> > are many software packages, some proprietary (and used even
> in
> > the US universities, for example) while some are open source
> > (which African universities could tap into). Cities like
> Dakar
> > and many other locations are well covered by Worldspace
> radio
> > (at least at the time of the project I'm referring to,
> > Worldspace Foundation and Francophonie seemed kin to
> collaborate
> > on education projects with this technology.) Even where
> radio
> > sattellite fails, it is possible to resort to asynchronous
> > systems by recording lectures on presentation slides and
> find a
> > way to distribute them effectively, etc. As AR says, at this
> > point (and level of education) it's first about the content.
> And
> > I don't really see what those students jamming the
> auditoriums
> > and corridors to get a bit of a course will gain in those
> > conditions, which they couldn't with a distance education
> tool.
> >
> > I don't mean to say everything is easy, and will be resolved
> by
> > technology. one thing for sure, it would take or cost far
> less
> > to use it than the cost of throwing away a whole generation
> (in
> > fact, not even just one!) A bit of political attention could
> > achieve a lot by mobilizing the relevant sponsors and
> > specialized institutions to take the direction of the
> > technological solutions already out there.
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > Mawaki
> >
> > --- Sophia B <sophiabekele at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Thanks for sharing AR.  I don't think you are dreaming,
> agree
> > > with your
> > > analogy below.  Also stresses the point that the Internet
> > > economy if the
> > > future, one that should be taken seriously by our
> leaders';
> > >
> > > ...but as the Senegalese student rightfully said:  "They
> fear
> > > us because we
> > > are the young, and the future belongs to us", which I can
> > > expand to the
> > > diaspora as well, in agreeing with Dr. Yassin.
> > > Sophia
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 21/05/07, Anne-Rachel Inné <annerachel at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Paulos,
> > > >
> > > > Nothing more than making a parallel on how most of our
> > > ccTLDs are in a bad
> > > > shape --- and keep thinking about how to improve them so
> > > they can help in
> > > > gathering and keeping content local --- maybe also think
> > > about how for the
> > > > ones working, ccTLDs managers can help establish
> technically
> > > sound networks
> > > > for say, online  courses and capacity building in IT at
> > > Universities?
> > > >
> > > > AfREN (check here on what they are doing
> > > http://www.afnog.org/) and AAU
> > > > are trying really hard with themes like sound campus
> > > networking and others
> > > > are thinking about online courses. Am I dreaming. yes
> :-).
> > > The Internet for
> > > > me is only worth the content it has. And here is one
> case
> > > where content on
> > > > networks can help I think.
> > > > cheers
> > > > ar
> > > >
> > > > On 5/21/07, Dr Paulos Nyirenda <paulos at sdnp.org.mw>
> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Pardom me BUT what is this doing on this list? 
> Regards,
> > > Paulos
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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> 
> 
> -- 
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