http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/news164.php
This article tells about the cholera outbreak in southern Zambia and how E-learning could potentially enable for the educational system to keep going during health disasters like these. These outbreaks obviously result into a wide-spread closure of schools in the area, and outbreaks off this kind have not proven to be particularly uncommon in Zambia.
"The closure of schools has had a negative effect on some exam-sitting pupils who earlier had protested against the government directive to close schools in cholera-affected areas while students in other regions were allowed to keep going to school. The pupils argued that they were all going to write the same exam at the end of the year and that it was not fair for them to stay home while friends in areas unaffected by cholera continued going to school."
Brenda Zulu, the writer of this article, goes on to claim that the Zambian (???) government should, in times like these, provide E-learning alternatives for those pupils who will not be able to attend regular class-sessions because of the health risks and that the country's Ministry of Education prepares themselves for the anual rainy season which traditionally brings not only health problems like these but also other types of disasters, such as floods. She also believes that the community should get prepared to use these other means of education such as E-learning, as, according to her, the country suffers Cholera outbreaks at the beginning of EVERY rainy season, and that therefore it is about time something was done about the way it interupts with pupil's studying, even if it is done by somewhat more "traditional" forms of media, such as Radio & TV, which are both widely available in Zambia.
Prof Thomson Sinkala agrees with her statement and adds that distance learning can also be a tool to educate pupuils and their parents about cholera itself and how to prevent it. He, however, did not think there was one single platform (or ICT tool as the article call them) to distribute the educational content on that is widespread enough to reach all zambians. He suggest teaming up with mobile phone providers as those are quite wide,ly used int he country, followed by Radio & TV broadcasting. He suggests that the government should invest in new technologies more as, (as the article later suggests trhough the words of a 12th grade student) especially younger zambians know how to use technology such as iPods and MP3-players, meaning podcasts could become a considerable option if the right investments are made.
At the moment there is an education radio programme available in Zambia for the lower grades but Brenda suggests that the programme's appeal should be broadened to reach older pupils too. She concludes by saying that, apart from floods and cholera outbreaks other occasional reasons for children to not attend school are strikes, bad weather and political unrest.
It seems weird to me personally that a country which ahs so many different factors that can disrupt its every goings on have shown so little commitment to solutions lik E-learning to at least keep the country's educational system going, especially as the rainy season and the health risks that come with it take place every single year and you would expect a government to take these sort of things into account. I can understand with these other problems, such as strikes an political unrest the government has other things to worry about than just this, but surely the anual cholera-scare is a problem that must've been around for a long time and I would have expected for a government to embrace new possibilities and technologies to solve these problems that have been going for years. Australia have been using distance learning for years, and been embracing available technologies to provide it as soon as they came available to solve their own (somewhat less threatening) problem of people being unnable to attend school so perhaps it actually is all down to the different economic (and political) situation in countries such as Zambia where things like the availability of education for all is "the least of their problems". I guess that this does explain the existence for these International Conferences on ICT for Development, Education & Training that are held in Africa every year as "Distance Learning as a possible solution" just isn't quite as much of a given as it is in economically more developped countries.
I completely agree Frank, it seems programmes such as the E-learning could be vital to an economy and country like this and it almost seems selfish for the government to withhold such advantages.
ReplyDeleteHowever maybe ignorance is to blame. Perhaps the governments lack of knowledge on the advantages and benefits of such a scheme may be a contributor to the refusal of the system.
We may also have to take into account the cost to put in such a system to all the affected areas of Africa. Whilst internet cafes sound like the ideal solution perhaps the initial cost of putting these in place has acted as a deterrent.
There may also be economic reasons :o( As I think I said in the lecture - elearning is NOT the cheap option. In Zambia it's probably HUGELY more expensive than the cost of a young teacher. Emotionally, I'd agree that SOMETHING should be done, but we can't be fooled that education can be divorced from financial cut backs. Sad innit?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's one of the things I meant (but, in all honesty, did not really mention properly) when I said that improving the educational system's technical/distance learning facilities are "the least of their worries". Obviously there are a lot of other, some arguably more important, problems that countries such as these need to solve before they can even start to think about things like distance learning. But it isn't always for us lot, here in the more fortunate countries if you like, to place ourselves in the situation of these countries. The political restlesnes that I mentioned as a reason for children not to be able to get to school is a great example for something that is of more vital importance to the government, the fact the children can't make it to their traditional schools are in this instance only a side-effect to the bigger problem. As are the ACTUAL cholera outbreaks, I can imagine the government spends the limited amount of financial resources that they DO have on containing that and helping actual cholera sufferers. I guess the international congress about distance learning in Africa may however highlight the problem and the possible solution to external institutions/powers?
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