e-Learning 'key to development'

2007-05-28 21:07

Nairobi - Technology-hungry educators and government administrators kicked off a three-day meeting on Monday in the Kenyan capital to boost the role of the internet in education in Africa.

More than 1 300 delegates from 88 countries are attending the second international eLearning Africa conference, that seeks to help mainstream technology in education to serve an increasingly information-hungry population.

Topics at the conference, also attended by technology giants, range from the use of mobile phones as education tools, training civil servants through distance learning and the role of eLearning in HIV/Aids awareness and prevention.

"We're trying to show how the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) environment can actually be used for every day teaching and learning," said Olubunmi Ekundare, an education manager for Intel who has implemented eLearning programmes in several rural Nigerian villages.

"Previously people used to look at Africa as the dark continent, filled with disease. But now there is real energy in helping us develop and use technology," Ekundare said.

'Change the landscape of education'

Existing infrastructure in many African countries often fails to meet the demand for education but the advent of computer-based learning has created opportunities for many who would have otherwise been overlooked, experts said.

Manufacturing content in indigenous languages, increasing student numbers at cash-strapped universities and helping nurses train for new skills are some of the issues on the meeting's agenda.

"Clearly, eLearning itself has changed the landscape of education in Africa. All of a sudden, opportunity is at the doorstep," said Leonard Mware, a conference organiser.

- AFP