E-learning expert urges schools to take advantage of political will

AN expert in electronic learning (e-learning), Fanwell Besa has urged various schools to take advantage of the political will shown by the Government to promote the use of e-learning.

Mr Besa said if properly harnessed, e-learning could be used to enhance the school system and bring about social and economic development in the country.

He urged stakeholders to make use of the e-learning national committee, which the Government has put in place, in order to promote the use of e-learning not only in schools but Government ministries as well.

Speaking at the e-brain monthly discussion at Golden Bridge yesterday, Mr Besa said it was time Zambian schools embraced e-learning failure to which they would lag behind.

“There is no excuse for us as a country not to embrace the use of e-learning. More so that the Government has formulated the Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy,” he said.

Mr Besa singled out the Ministry of Education, which he said had taken the integration of ICT serious.

He said the Government had laid a strong foundation for the use of ICT and there was no need for Zambia to lag behind in the use of e-learning.

He added that the goodwill shown by the Government towards the use of e-learning culminated into the recent holding of e-learning Africa conference, which took place in Zambia recently.

And e-brain Zambia forum chairperson Lee Muzala commended the Government for mainstreaming e-learning in most schools.

Mr Muzala said the installation of the optic fibre availed Zambia a huge potential to tap into and enhance the use of e-learning.

“We have a good opportunity to maximise the use of e-learning through the optic fibre. As a country, we have a chance which we seem not to be using,” he said.

And e-learning consultant Mulemwa Moongwa said Zambia was steadily making progress towards maximising the use of e-learning.

She, however, pointed out that as expected, there were some level of resistance towards adopting the use of e-learning.

“We need to build capacity in this area even for people who are nearing retirement,” she said.

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ICT POLICIES IN ZAMBIA

ICT Policies
National Vision 2030
The National Vision 2030 is the Zambian government’s long-term plan “to be a
prosperous middle income nation by the year 2030.” The vision emanates from a series of
discussions with a range of stakeholders from civil society, the private sector, and within
government, and it articulates national and sectoral goals for the socio-economic
development of Zambian economy and society.
Fifth National Development Plan
The Fifth National Development Plan (FNDP) represents the fifth of a series of
successive five-year plans to promote the social and economic development of Zambia.
The FNDP extends from 2006 to 2010 and has “broad based wealth and job creation
through citizenry participation and technological advancement” as its theme and
“economic infrastructure and human resources development” as its strategic focus.
Unlike previous national plans, the FNDP makes specific references to ICT development.
It proposes the installation of provincial and district fibre optical cables and the
establishment of rural community multi-purpose telecentres.
The FNDP represents the engine for developing other forms of ICTs including capacitybuilding
related to technologies and equipment as well as broadening access content such
as news, information, and knowledge resources by the general public.14
National ICT Policy
In March 2007, the Zambian government launched its national ICT policy. At the launch,
President Mwanawasa reportedly emphasised the creation of an innovative, market
responsive, highly competitive, co-ordinated, and well-regulated ICT industry.15
The policy identifies three goals for ICT:
• To enable a diversified and export-oriented economy
• To improve livelihoods and protect the vulnerable through service delivery
• To provide an efficient and effective public sector
The policy recognises the need to face the following challenges in education:
• Low levels of ICT literacy
• High cost of technology acquisition
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• “Brain drain” resulting in considerable loss of skilled personnel
• Limited local ICT industry
• Lack of standardisation and certification programmes in ICT
• Inadequate institutional capacity
The policy states that computer studies was introduced as a subject in public schools in
1998 and that Zambia’s private schools were producing ICT literate students. It also
highlights challenges such as the financial and technological resource constraints,
inadequate awareness on the benefits of integrating ICTs in the administration of the
delivery chain of education sector, and the high opportunity costs and lack of coordination.
While the policy does not provide clear guidelines on how the challenges will be
confronted, it does suggest the need to scale up the introduction of computer studies in
schools and the need to focus research and development on products to service the local
market.
ICT Policy in Education
With the support of the International Institute for Communication and Development
(IICD), the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), and the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID), the Zambian Ministry of Education had developed
a draft ICT policy for education by October 200616 and an implementation strategy by
January 2007.17 This represents an extension of Zambia’s national education and national
ICT policies. The vision is for ICTs to contribute towards reaching innovative and
lifelong education and training in Zambia by 2030.
The guiding principles of policy include the following:
• It must fit into national policies on education and ICTs
• There is a commitment to establishing strategic partnership with stakeholders
• There is a combined effort with government, the private sector, and NGOs
• The policy reflects general standards that the Ministry of Education wishes to uphold
• An integrated approach must be adopted that integrates all aspects of the value chain
in the education process
The policy also provides an overview of goals, objectives, and government commitment
in key programme areas of ICT infrastructure to education institutions, content
development, curriculum integration, teacher training, distance education, administration
and support services, and finance.
Linked to the policy is an implementation framework that sets out in detail the
implementation objectives, activities, time frames, and budgets for each of these
programme areas. It also outlines the ministry’s commitment to promote collaboration
between the private sector and education institutions and to establish appropriate
structures to facilitate the integration of ICTs in the education system. The estimated
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budget to support access to computer facilities and Internet access to the ministry
headquarters, provincial offices and districts; the 14 colleges of education; the nine
provincial, 78 district, and 400 zonal resource centres; and the 350 high schools and 460
basic schools is USD$63.6 million.
Current ICT Initiatives and Projects
Computers for Zambian Schools Trust
The Computers for Zambian Schools is a registered trust established by the local
educational and ICT specialists, representatives from the British Council, Ministry of
Education, and the Beit Trust. It operates as a partnership between the Computers for
African Schools, which is a UK-based registered charity, the British Council, HSBC, the
British High Commission, the Beit Trust, SchoolNet Zambia, MTN, ZamNet, and the
Zambian Ministry of Education.
The British Council has reportedly facilitated the import of duty-free equipment to
Zambia. The Beit Trust provided grants to the project and MTN supported the operating
costs for the technical centre.
To date the project has reportedly sent 4,500 computers that reached 300 schools in
Zambia. It is based at a boys’ high school in Lusaka where it takes in PCs and refurbishes
and redistributes them to schools to be used to support the study of computer studies.
The main activities in which Computers for Zambian Schools are involved include
training of ICT teachers, distribution of ICTs to schools, provision of technical support to
schools, and recycling computers in partnership with a South African company.
For more information: http://www.cfzs.org.zm
eBrain Forum
eBrain is a non-profit, membership-based organisation that promotes ICTs for
development in Zambia. Its objectives are to lobby, advocate, build capacity, and conduct
research on ICT for development issues.
For more information: www.ebrain.org.zm
SchoolNet Zambia
SchoolNet Zambia was initially established as a short-term pilot project supported by the
IDRC in the late 1990s. When this project came to an end, the organisation paused for a
while and was then re-started with the support of SchoolNet Africa and its partnership
with Multichoice Africa and the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA).
With the support of Multichoice Africa and Multichoice Zambia, SchoolNet Zambia was
able to promote access to satellite television and video in a few schools in order for
learners and teachers to access education channels such as Mindset Learn, Discovery
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Channel, and National Geographic. With the support of OSISA and in partnership with
Computer for Zambian Schools, it extended the PC refurbishment centre.
For more information: http://www.schoolnet.org.zm
OneWorld Africa
OneWorld Africa is a registered NGO in Zambia which forms part of the OneWorld
International online network of media and human rights practitioners and civil society
organisations. OneWorld Africa has been involved in lobbying and advocacy on ICT for
development issues in Zambia, including education. OneWorld Africa has an Education
Support Network Project that involves volunteers in the development of teacher support
materials for nine schools in the country. OneWorld Africa also has a collaborative
partnership on thematic channels such as its learning channel, which provides
information on education opportunities for individuals and institutions across the globe.
Another is its kids’ channel which provides a host of information and learning
opportunities for children.
For more information: Africa.oneworld.net
University of Zambia and Copperbelt University
The University of Zambia and the Copperbelt University offer computer science as a
study subject, and both institutions have invested in ICT infrastructure. The University of
Zambia installed PCs with Internet connectivity in its regional offices. The Copperbelt
University has a curriculum development centre that develops the syllabus on computer
studies for Grades 1 to 9 with Grades 10 to 12 following international syllabuses on ICTs.
For more information: www.unza.zm
UNESCO Distance Learning Course on Telecentres18
In 2004 UNESCO supported the establishment of three learning centres in five African
countries including Zambia. The project provided the centres with digital radios, data
interfacing equipment, and technical backup, which enabled large numbers of local
learners to participate in a course on telecentres. The course was delivered using the
combined live audio and slide show (CLASS) technology of WorldSpace Corporation.
Resource Co-operative Society
The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) supports the
Resource Co-operative Society in Ndola, which uses computers to conduct small-scale
training for students and members of the community in lifelong skills to improve their employability.

Latest ICT developments in Asia Pacific

This week, some 50 ICT experts from more than 30 countries in Asia Pacific came together in Singapore to brainstorm and network for the Digital Review of Asia Pacific (DirAP) 2009/2010 which is expected to be released early next year.

7 March 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Education is the key to information and communication technology (ICT) development. And that's the focus of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific (DirAP) 2009-2010. "Today, the Internet is the primary instrument for communicating and sharing information around the world, and more so with each passing day. "If previously, the key challenges included infrastructure, connectivity, and access, today the key issue is human capital development through education," said Shahid Akhtar, DirAP's Editor-in-Chief. Mr Akhtar was in Singapore this week for a three-day DirAP authors' meeting. With him were some 50 experts from government, academe, industry, and civil society from more than 30 countries. They were meeting to brainstorm as they review a draft of the DirAP 2009-2010. "The DirAP biennial is not only an ICT publication; it is about a network and Asian networking so that experiences are shared. It's an opportunity to learn from each other," added Mr Akhtar. The biennial Digital Review of Asia Pacific project is coordinated by Dr Claude-Yves Charron, who is Secretary-General of ORBICOM (the Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communications), and also Vice-Rector of the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada. The project is supported by the International Development Research Centre of Canada, which is represented on the DirAP Board by Ms Maria Ng Lee Hoon, an ICT specialist, based at IDRC's Southeast and East Asia Regional Office in Singapore. It is a comprehensive guide to the state-of-practice and trends in information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) in Asia -Pacific. Their target audiences include policymakers, ICT professionals, and academics, not only in the Asia-Pacific region but around the world. The 2009-2010 publication will be the fourth edition of the biennial DirAP series. It is expected to cover themes such as ICTs, education and the Millennium Development Goals, distance education, ICTs and non-formal education, private-public partnership in ICTs for education, and knowledge and innovation. The review, to be released in the first quarter of 2009, will also include two overview chapters - one on emerging ICT4D technologies and their relationships to markets and communities, and the other, on regulatory approaches to ICTs and best practices. The author of one of the overview chapters, Mr Rajesh Sreenivasan - a lawyer from Singapore - said the public sector could encourage the development of ICTs with tax incentives, and studies into intellectual property legislation and enforcement. Also important, he stressed, was the need to train a special group of people to understand these issues. He said this when asked about what the public and private sectors could do to enhance ICT development. As for the private sector,, Mr Sreenivasan opined that they could support the government by giving feedback from the ground, and be more pro-active in creating new technologies. ON PREVIOUS EDITIONS The previous DirAP editions received overwhelming response. One of the authors attending the meeting, Milagros Rivera -- who heads the Communications and New Media Programme at the National University of Singapore, said the DirAP is a useful reference material for her students and research colleagues. DirAP is also used as a textbook at Athabasca University in Canada. The DirAP has also been well received in India, according to Suchit Nanda, an ICT consultant based in Bombay. DirAP 2007/2008 In the current 2007/2008 edition, North Korea was included for the first time. It contained authoritative reports on how 31 economies in Asia Pacific were using ICT in business, government and civil society. The reports were written by senior authors who live and work in the respective countries. Also included were two subregional chapters on ASEAN (which attracted the then ASEAN Secretary-General Mr Ong Keng Yong) and APEC. Among the significant issues include Mobile and wireless technologies, ICTs in risk and Disasters Communication, Localisation, and Key policy issues in intellectual property. "The report includes recommendation to policy makers. For example, for Mobile and Wireless Technologies, we noted that governments must be involved in the development of infrastructure," said Danny Butt - a lecturer at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Mr Butt is an editorial board member of the review and a consultant in new media, culture and development. As for ICTs in Risk and Disasters Communication, Mr Butt cited the tsunami as an example. He said cooperation across the region was crucial because communication may be crippled due to different systems in the various countries. Interesting ICT Projects 1. Single Operating Environment for all government 2. Next Generation Broadband ICT for Development - Two Interesting Examples of Mobile and Wireless Technologies 1. Tsunami - Email from Singapore alerted a village telecentre in Pondicherry, India to move villagers out, before the waves hit it 2. Fishermen in India eliminated "middlemen" by using text messaging to sell their catch. The community chipped in to buy a cellphone to be shared by all. DirAP's Key Contributions 1. It adds a major source of research-based data and information to a field that is growing into a discipline with as yet relatively little research literature especially relating to Asia Pacific. 2. It gives ICT stakeholders in Asia Pacific opportunities to develop skills in research methods, research processes and research documentation. 3. It draws together a large number of leading ICT players from both developed and developing countries in Asia to reflect on platforms they identify as important for engagement to influence change. 4. It permits a time series narrative macro view of how total project investments by all parties aggregate into national syntheses on both country-level performance and issues-based performance. 5. It harnesses the intellectual contribution of a sizable community of practitioners and researchers from a multitude of disciplines from most of the developing countries of the region. More information on Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2007-2008 is available from this IDRC link: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-116715-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html PICTURES Pix 1: The Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2009-2010 team (Photo credit: Suchit Nanda) Pix 2: The Editorial Board (Left to right) Suchit Nanda, Rajesh Sreenivasan, Dr Claude-Yves Charron, Maria Ng, Milagros Rivera, Patricia Arinto, Danny Butt, Shahid Akhtar Available for download from http://picasaweb.google.com/ResearchSEA/DigitalReviewOfAsiaPacific?authkey=i1s_dh8094w For more information, please contact : Mr Shahid Akhtar - Canada Editor-in-Chief, Digital Review of Asia Pacific Email: 1sa2dg@gmail.com Dr Claude-Yves Charron - Canada Coordinator of the Digital Review of Asia Pacific project, Secretary-General of ORBICOM and Vice-Rector of the University of Quebec, Canada. Email: charron.c-y@uqam.ca Ms Maria Ng Lee Hoon - Singapore Senior Program Specialist, International Development Research Centre of Canada, Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia. Email: mng@idrc.org.sg Office telephone: +65 64396837 The Digital Review of Asia Pacific project is supported by the International Development Research Centre of Canada. "About IDRC Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is one of the World's leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet the challenges of international development. For close to 40 years, IDRC has worked in close collaboration with researchers from the developing world to build healthier, more equitable, and more prosperous societies. See http://www.idrc.ca/"

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Youth and the Church

Are you aware of the effect and influence you have on others that you meet each day?

Have you stopped to contemplate how your mood, your humor, your attitude, or your frame of mind touches those you meet?

Does your each encounter bring an expression of warmth or indifference in your being? Does your each experience bring fervor and passion or apathy about your way of life?

You do impact the lives of those around you. You do have a scope of persuasion in your living.

Don't you want to create an atmosphere around yourself that will be uplifting and inspiring?

The pace of modern life tends to isolate us from each other, but the contacts you share remain significant. You absorb the energy, attitude, and disposition of those close to you. Some even change, after the briefest encounters. Everything you do or say has the potential to affect the individuals you live, work, and play with.

Be mindful of the impact you might have on another life.
Accept and understand that your attitudes and choices will affect others. So, be graceful and grateful at all times. Seek to be friendly, helpful, and responsive to those in need. Be your very best, for someone is ready to mimic your every move.

A smile can brighten the day of someone walking in gloom.
A simple greeting can enforce the understanding that one is appreciated. Stopping to spend a few moments with someone will earn you respect in their eyes.

A small gesture of kindness could lighten a heavy heart.
Words of approval can increase the confidence of one floundering in doubt. A word of advice could help another see the world in an entirely new light.

Have a kind heart. Be true to yourself.
Keep a positive outlook on things of the world. Remember that God is in control. You are his hands and feet in a cold an embittered world. You can make a difference to others by emulating your Savior.

Project your passion for life, your kindness to others, your love for God and mankind.
Every person you contact within your circle of influence will feel your peace, your caring, and your love. Know this and go out and make this a better world for all of us to live in.

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