Author: Gregory

Field Stories

Uganda leads in eLearning since 2005 – in 750+ secondary schools

Uganda is holding a secret. It is host to one of the largest implementations of eLearning in Africa to date. From urban uptown schools to village schools. Already in 2005 the Ministry of Education and Sports agreed to a pilot in 10 government secondary schools, deploying computerised Science and Mathematics software and virtual laboratory software. Having reached 250 schools, the ministry then joined hands with […]

Field Stories

The eLearning Africa Debate

“This house believes that there is now nothing more important to education than access to the Internet” As the conference drew to a close on Friday night, participants came together for one final showdown. The annual eLearning Africa Debate is a grand finale not to be missed, and as the audience settled down and the speakers took to the stage to take on the […]

Trends

Uganda makes small steps toward eGovernment

In this last edition of the Uganda News Review, Mark Keith Muhumuza takes a look at the technology projects that are slowly but surely changing the face of government in Uganda – as presented at eLearning Africa 2014’s session, “Local Initiatives: Current ICT Projects from Uganda” Piles of manila files are a common scene in Ugandan public services, in the hospitals, land offices and tax […]

General

Reflections on eLearning Africa 2014

The 9th eLearning Africa conference was by all accounts a success in bringing together a vast array of experts and change-makers in the eLearning industry. Over 1,500 participants and 300 speakers gathered for three days at the Speke Resort and Conference Centre in the Ugandan capital Kampala, set on the edge of magnificent Lake Victoria. On 28th May the Government of Uganda hosted the […]

Trends

Africa unlocked

Opening a window on the continent’s education future The eLearning Africa Report 2014, launched yesterday by the His Excellency Edward Ssekandi, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda, is claiming that Africans working in education are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future. The report follows the publication of the World Bank’s estimate that economic growth across Africa will rise to 5.2 per cent this year, […]

General

Six partners create a new network for ICT in education

Partner organisations with projects in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and Bolivia have joined The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (Spider) in the launch of a new network, named Network for ICT in Education. It started with a workshop To support the founding of a network in the Education area, Spider organised a workshop in Kampala, Uganda in 2013 for partners who have […]

Field Stories

Open source education at eLearning Africa

Permaculture Basics, Newborn Care for Professionals, How to Build a Computer or Preventing HIV for Girls – these are some of the courses that Berlin-based non-profit startup Allversity.org hopes will change lives. by Georgia Gilson As well as chairing a session on Engaging with MOOCs and another on Support for Sustainability at eLearning Africa, beginning on May 29th, attending the conference is also an […]

General

The role of public libraries in achieving national development goals

Access to information in Africa is a fundamental obstacle to development. Africa’s youth population is increasing faster than any other region of the world. But while the young (15-24 years old) make up 20% of the continent’s population, they account for 60% of the unemployed. As these rising numbers flock to cities, the old ways of passing on information – through small-scale, oral community […]

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The vital role of indigenous languages

As the Executive Secretary of the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), a specialised institution of the African Union, Sozinho Francisco Matsinhe is committed to the development of African languages. ACALAN aims to revolutionise current approaches, the strategies to be adopted and the ultimate goals and objectives to promote the use of African languages in all domains of society, particularly in education systems, in partnership […]

Conference sneak preview

Internet above all?

Is the Internet now so important to the way we interact in the world that it is the number one necessity for education? Should connecting to the Internet be at the top of the agenda for Africa’s schools – or does the drive to provide access overshadow other equally important educational hurdles? With our modern obsession with connectivity, are we neglecting the fact that […]