INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHONOLOGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA Volume 3 Networking Institutions of Learning - SchoolNet Edited by Tina James International Development Research Centre Ottawa • Dakar • Cairo • Montevideo • Nairobi • New Delhi • Singapore Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa © International Development Research Centre 2004 Jointly published by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) PO Box 8500, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9 http://www.idrc.ca and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) PO Box 3304, Dakar, Senegal http://www.codesria.org ISBN 2-86978-117-2 National Library of Canada cataloguing in publication data Main entry under title: Information and communication technologies for development in Africa. Volume 3: Networking Institutions of Learning - SchoolNet Co-published by CODESRIA. ISBN 1-55250-008-X 1. Information technology -Africa. 2. Communication in community development-Africa. 3. Community development-Africa. 4. Computer-assisted instruction -Africa. I. James, Tina II. International Development Research Centre (Canada) III. Codesria. HC805.I55I53 2004 338.9'26'096 C2004-980230-5 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the International Development Research Centre. Mention of a proprietary name does not constitute endorsement of the product and is given only for information. Contents List of figures vi List of tables vii List of acronyms and abbreviations viii Foreword xi Preface xiv Acknowledgements xvi Executive summary xviii Chapter 1 Contextualising Education in Africa: The Role of ICTs Shakifa Isaacs, Irene Broekman and Thomas Mogale Africa and the Information Age 1 Status of education in African schools 2 Connectivity 5 The role of school networking projects in Africa 9 Challenges facing ICTs in Africa 15 Conclusion 23 Chapter 2 Introduction to the Evaluation Study Shakifa Isaacs, Irene Broekman and Thomas Mogale Objectives and scope of the evaluation study 26 Conceptual background 27 Key concept 30 Evaluation approach and methodology ,34 Overview of the evaluated SchoolNet projects 36 Research questions 41 Data-gathering techniques 41 Challenges in the research process 42 Information and Communication Techonologies for Development in Africa Chapter 3 Emerging Pictures - Lessons Learnt and Recommendations Tina James Introduction 45 Initial conceptualisation and planning of SchoolNet projects 46 Institutionalisation 49 Connectivity 56 Access 57 Content development 60 Policy 61 Implications for future research 62 Future evaluation research processes 66 Chapter 4 Starting National Schoolnets Malusi Cele and Shafika Isaacs Introduction 69 Findings 70 Effects of SchoolNets 85 Conclusion 88 Chapter 5 Internet para as Escolas in Mozambique Ephraim Siluma, Daniel Browde and Nicky Roberts Country context 89 Project background 96 Project activities 99 Research process 100 Research findings 102 Effects of the project 119 Conclusions and recommendations 124 Chapters Youth Cyber Clubs in Senegal Ramata Molo Aw Thioune and El Hadj Habib Camara Country context 127 Project background 132 Project activities 140 Research process 143 IV Volume 3: Networking Institutions of Learning - SchoolNet Research findings 146 Effects of the project 162 Conclusions and recommendations 168 Chapter 7 SchoolNet South Africa Edward Holcroft Country context 173 Project background 183 SchoolNet activities 186 Research process 196 Research findings 198 Conclusions and recommendations 209 Chapter 8 Schoolnet Uganda: Curriculumnet Anne Ruhweza Katahoire, Grace Baguma and Florence Etta Country context 215 Project background 219 The research process in Uganda 222 Findings 224 Conclusions and recommendations 246 Appendices 251 Bibliography 259 V Figures Figure 1.1 School enrolment for selected countries 3 Figure 1.2 Education expenditure as % of GNP 4 Figure 1.3 Adult illiteracy rates, 1995 5 Figure 2.1 Stages of school networking 28 Figure 2.2 Process followed for the evaluation of Acacia-supported SchoolNet projects in Africa 35 Figure 8.1 a & b Community and parental involvement in ICT development in Schools 227 Figure 8.2 Places where learners learnt the most about computers 232 Figure 8.3 Duration of learners' computer use 232 Figure 8.4a & b Comparisons of computer proficiency in learners and Educators 235 Figure 8.5 Use of the Internet by learners 236 Figure 8.6a & b Educators' assessment of their proficiency with computers 239 Figure 8.7 Level of confidence in the use of ICTs as an educational Tool 240 Figure 8.8 Sources of ICT training 241 Figure 8.9a & b The role SchoolNet Uganda has played in access to the Internet and Email 245 VI Tables Table 1.1 Number of Internet users, 1999 and 2002 6 Table 1.2 Estimated number of mobile phone users in selected African countries, 1998-2001 7 Table 1.3 Telephone, mobile and Internet penetration in recent years 8 Table 2.1 SchoolNet projects evaluated in this study, late 2000 39 Table 4.1 Overview of start-up SchoolNets surveyed, 2000 71 Table 5.1 Schools evaluated in Mozambique 101 Table 6.1 Budgetary estimates on Youth Cyber Clubs 142 Table 6.2 Questionnaire and interview respondents 144 Table 6.3 ICT equipment in Youth Cyber Clubs 150 Table 6.4 Frequency of computers use by learners 151 Table 6.5 Number of users for services requested 153 Table 6.6 Most frequently used products and services in Youth Cyber Clubs 155 Table 6.7 Number and percentage of trained users 160 Table 7.1 Summary of SchoolNet SA project activities and partners .... 188 Table 7.2 Number of SchoolMail addresses per province 192 Table 8.1 Number of interviews conducted 224 Table 8.2 Teachers' perceptions of using ICTs 234 Table 8.3 Cross-tabulation of the age of learners by how well they used a computer 237 Table 8.4 Cross-tabulation of the age of learners by the time spent using a computer 237 Table 8.5 Cross-tabulation of the gender of learners by the use of computers 237 Table 8.6 Cross-tabulation of gender by the purpose for which learners use the Internet 238 VII Acronyms and abbreviations AISI African Information Society Initiative Acacia IDRC Initiative for Communities and Information Society in sub-Saharan Africa AISI African Information Society Initiative BRVM Bourse regionale des valeurs mobilieres I West African Stock Exchange (Abidjan) CAD Canadian dollar CAERENAD Centre d'Application, d'Etudes et de Resources en Apprentissage a Distance (Senegal) CD compact disc CEM College d'Enseignement Moyen (Senegal) CETDE Centre for Educational Technology and Distance Educa- tion (South Africa) CIUEM Centro de Informatica, Eduardo Mondlane University DDSP District Development Support Programme (South Africa) DFID Department for International Development ECSN Eastern Cape Schools Network EIG Economic Interest Group (Senegal) EISA Evaluation and Learning System for Acacia EMDP Education Management Development Programme (South Africa) ENS Ecole Normale Superieure de Dakar (Senegal) FCA African franc / franc CFA (Senegal) FET Further Education and Training FLE Family Life and Education (Senegal) gbps gigabytes per second GDP gross domestic product GEEP Groupe pour I'Etude et I'Enseignement de la Population / Group for Population Studies and Education (Senegal) VIII Volume 3: Networking Institutions of Learning - SchoolNet GEPE Gabinete Tecnico de Gestao de Projectos Educacionais Mozambique) GET General Education and Training GNP gross national product GSN Gauteng Schools Network HIPC high interest paying country HIV/AIDS human immunodeficiency virus / acquired immune defi- ciency syndrome TEARN International Education and Resource Network ICT Information and Communications Technology ICEIDA Icelandic International Development Assistance Agency IDRC International Development Research Centre (Canada) IICD International Institute for Communications and Develop- ment IIP Intergovernmental Informatics Programme (UNESCO) ISAS Institute of Southern African Studies (Lesotho) ISDN integrated services digital network ISP Internet service provider ISPA Internet Service Providers Association LAN local area network MEN Ministry of National Education (Senegal) NCDC National Curriculum Development Centre (Uganda) NGO non-governmental organisation NSN National Schools Network (South Africa) OBE outcomes-based education OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development PC personal computer PDEF Programme decennal pour /'education et la formation I "Quality Education for All" programme (Senegal) PDIS Programme de developpement integre de la sante I Ex- tended Health Development Programme (Senegal) PLE Primary Leaving Examination (Uganda) POP point of presence PRC Provincial Resource Centre (Angola) PTA Parent-Teacher Association ROSA Regional Office for Southern Africa SABC South African Broadcasting Corporation SACOL South African College for Open Learning IX Information and Communication Techonologies for Development in Africa SAIDE South African Institute for Distance Education SAITIS South African IT Industry Strategy Project SAP Structural Adjustment Programme (World Bank) SIDA Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SNP SchoolNet Project SNSA SchoolNet South Africa SPRU Science Policy Research (Sussex) STDs sexually transmitted diseases STSI School-to-School Initiative (Uganda) TBLISS Technical-based Learning in School Science (Uganda)