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Since the introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) in Kenya when the Narc government of president Kibaki came to power in 2003, many primary schools have experienced large enrolment of pupils in classes one to eight such that in some schools there are over 100 pupils per class with only one teacher. Such increased enrolment influenced by the removal of tuition fees, and provision of free learning materials. Some schools have not been doing well due to lack of teachers and relevant...

The Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa programme (TESSA) is developing a bank of innovative open content materials to support school-based teacher education at primary/basic level. It therefore contributes to the MDG of universal primary education. It is a consortium of nine African universities, together with the Commonwealth of Learning, the African Virtual University, the BBC World Service Trust, and the OU UK. Preparing good materials is not enough of itself. There are many...

Recently, there has been explosive growth in the array of distance learning delivery modes and information technologies. Interactive video and audio conferencing as well as telephone tutoring have made it possible for distance education to move into the forefront of course delivery. The University of Namibia has been using interactive video conferencing and teleconferencing techniques to enhance leaning amongst its distance education students during the past few years. This paper will...

The University of Pretoria is the largest contact university in South Africa. The university runs a distance education programme for more than 10 000 teachers to upgrade their qualifications. The speaker will use the experience of the distance education programme to illustrate the use of mobile phones as an instrument for student support. The realities with regard to the availability of computers in deep rural South Africa and other African countries and the challenges facing...

This paper describes an e-learning initiative made possible by improved electronic communications and computer skills of staff in Africa, and not just in the capital city. The analysis of climatic data is important in many development sectors including agriculture, food security, health, water supply, building and flood prevention. National Meteorological Services in Africa are decentralising their climatic activities, a change made possible by the wide availability of computers and...

This paper reports the results of an exploratory study undertaken to test the effectiveness of Short Messaging Service (SMS) communication among selected first year Bachelor of Commerce External upcountry Distance Education students in Makerere University, Uganda. It is proposed that these results and their findings can inform more effective future usage of mobile technologies in Distance Education in Uganda. Using a questionnaire on a cluster sample of the students, and an interview guide...

In a bid to raise academic standards from primary school to the tertiary level, and in its drive to achieve universal primary education by 2016 by expanding a teaching force that is shrinking through retirement and disease, mainly through(HIV/AIDS), the government of Botswana, through Recommendations 100 (a) of the Revised National Policy on Education (RNPE) of 1994, raised the minimum qualification for primary school teacher certificate (PTC) holders from certificate to the diploma level....

In one of its strategic planning documents, UB beyond 10,000: A strategy for growth and shaping our future: A Strategic Plan to 2009 and Beyond, the university has committed itself to increasing educational opportunities in tertiary education through the distance education delivery mode. To achieve this goal the University of Botswana which is a dual mode institution promulgated a distance education mainstreaming policy in 2005,which attempts to incorporate distance education provision into...

This paper reports on the findings of a research study that was conducted to explore the types of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in higher education in South Africa. The goal was to examine the types of ICT that aid elearning. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to: 1) explore how ICT is being used for teaching and learning purposes; and 2) investigate the barriers to participation in ICT-integrated learning. Data were collected from interviews with educators and...

The aim of this study is to undertake a broad review of the literature pertaining to the application and organisation of Distance Education at the University of Zambia, Directorate of Distance Education provision in Zambia. The study will describe and examine the context and identify the need to identify an appropriate philosophy and forms of provision of distance education in Zambia at the teritiary level. The literature review will focus upon the philosophy and structure of the...

Under normal circumstances community and economic development initiatives start with government or chambers of commerce setting goals for economic growth and taking steps to bring economic activities and projects to a particular community. However, the University of Namibia (UNAM) recognized that community economic development should be addressed through empowering community members who must participate in such economic activities. During 2000 and 2001 UNAM, through its Northern Campus...

Education in general continue to be a crucial means to national development and a well educated and trained population is found to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of any country (Marope, 2005). In addition, open and distance learning methods and programmes are known to make valuable contributions to the socio-economic development of countries that offer such programmes. Man countries have therefore recognized that open and distance learning is a powerful tool for...

The study sought to assess the distance learning programs and factors that contributed to the drop out rate among distance learning students at the University of Zambia. The sample consisted of 91 distance students (66males,25females) who attended Residential School in 2004. A simple random sampling method was used to identify the subjects. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Some objectives of the study were to: establish the main factors that led to some distance students dropping...

The buzzword in communication today is technology. It becomes more relevant where distance, especially long distances apply. In the case of Open and Distance Learning Institutions, technological development is crucial to ensure sustainability, oppose competition and manage threats. However, in the developing world, the financial implications of technological development become a serious challenge in endeavours to keep abreast of latest technology, but more so to innovate and lead...

The need for food security in Ghana requires continuing education of agricultural extension agents (AEAs) who work with farmers in rural settings. The lack of continuing education opportunities is a drawback to AEAs performance. Increased access to quality education and training and new opportunities for learning and skill development in agriculture at the facilitator and farming community levels must be exploited to continually update the knowledge and skills of extension workers and...

National Education Department recognizes that there is a natural consensus to make education a life long need for all citizens, distance education has both opportunities and challenges to cater for traditional learners for education qualifications, professionals to upgrade knowledge and skills to the communities to acquire skills and knowledge and information. This paper provides a unique platform for sharing and exchanging ideas in perspective of Open and Distance Learning in relation...

Today we experience the effects of globalization, as well as knowledge era. Globalization has brought the world closer and has evolved around the need for maximum reachout. Whereas knowledge era has played an instrumental role in creating a knowledge society. The ‘knowledge’ society necessitates easy access to and sharing of knowledge. In a way it is a process of building learning communities. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) provides an opportunity to build learning communities by taking...

Since 1994 the South African government has been involved in numerous activities in the country, trying rid itself from its unequal past and repositioning the country for the future. This was primarily done through a vision of transformation. The major challenges Higher Education institutions are to address past inequalities and transform the higher education system serve a new social order, meet pressing national needs, and respond new realities and opportunities (White Paper: 1.1). The...