SomaliREN and Emerging Terrestrial Infrastructure

1
SomaliREN and Emerging Terrestrial Infrastructure

• Presentation for 7th International Conference on
  Open Access, Accra, Ghana, 1st - 3rd November
  2009
• Contact
• Tom Munyasya, SomaliREN Regional Coordinator
• email tmunyasya_at_yahoo.com or tom.munyasya_at_ussfs.o
  rg

2
Somali Background

• Somali in Brief
• Population
• 8 10 Million
• Economy
• Livestock, trade, agriculture
• Politics
• unstable over 18 years
• SomaliREN has 7 participating Tertiary
  institutions across the three zones of Somalia
• Somaliland
• Puntland
• South-Central Mogadishu

3
SomaliREN Background

• Initiated through the support of WB and UNDP
  since 2004 to 7 universities in ODeL mode
• VSAT solutions platform and bandwidth of at
  least 1 MB per site
• Multi-media labs with facilities equipped
• E-content and global partnerships

4
Courses Online Distance Education eLearning

• University of Fort Hare, South Africa - Financial
  Planning and Management (Including PFM and ACCA
  professions) programme
• New Jersey Institute of Technology (USA)
  Information Technology Master Certificate
• Maestro LLC (USA) Crossroads Café (English as a
  Second Language) and English for Business and
  Academic Success
• Indiana University in Pennsylvania (USA) -
  Journalism (certificate, Diploma and Degree
  programs)
• Georgetown University (USA) - Business English
  (Certificate and Diploma)
• African Development Bank (AfDB)/ AVU - Teacher
  Training Program (Diploma and Degree programs)

5
HIGHLIGHTS

• More than 1200 Somali students benefited annually
  since 2004.
• 185 Somali professionals completed initial cycle
  of Financial Planning Management, further 700
  on other job-related courses.
• By August 2008, ODeL graduates were over 4,000
  30 females and 60 civil servants, a practical
  testimony for value of technological investment
  and open access.

6
SomaliREN Social Economic Impact

• Access to technology supported training catalyzed
  Somali development and peace building in conflict
  zone
• Professional development opportunities especially
  with the short courses, led to career progression
• Networking opportunities for the seven
  Universities with the global knowledge economy

7
Emerging Terrestrial Infrastructure

• Entry of www.swedfund.se, providing risk capital
  for investments in developing countries, which
  has invested in Somali Telecom Group (STG) based
  in Djibouti and having a GSM network in
  Somaliland and Puntland.
• Somali Association of Telecom Operators (SATO)
  that covers the Central-South zone is planning a
  terrestrial connection from Kenya and is also a
  key partner in the ongoing EASSY Project.
• STG planning a fiber infrastructure from Djibouti
  into Somaliland and Puntland that may provide
  links for SomaliREN and its interconnection to
  Ubuntunet in Djibouti.
• PPP possible Telecom operators to connect the
  universities in exchange of staff training
  opportunities.

8
Accessing Communication Infrastructure

• Access to communication infrastructure is
  important and timely in Somali today as it
  remains the main backbone to education, research
  and access to global knowledge resources.
• The Swedish Government and higher learning
  institutions have lately indicated their
  willingness to collaborate with the Somali
  Universities through the AfricaConnect
  initiative, which is part of the 8th partnership
  on Science and Technology between the African
  Union and the European Union.

9
SomaliREN Other Developments

• Re-entry of the World Bank - providing Video
  Conferencing Facilities to SIMAD, University of
  Hargeisa and Puntland State University before end
  of 2009.
• Centre for British Teachers (CFBT) Education
  Trust supporting establishment of Somali Higher
  Education Commission with the help of Commission
  for Higher Education in Kenya, an EU funded
  project. 
• UNDP Somalia re-engagement - to support Somali
  Universities before the end of the year.
• USAID contract - US universities offering
  Conflict Resolution courses in collaboration with
  Somali Universities.

10
Key Focal Areas

• Somali Universities Institutional Capacity
  Building
• Research enhancement
• Curriculum Development and Harmonization
• Fellowships, International Recognition and
  Accreditation
• Donor harmonization and coordination

11
Challenges - 1

• Inadequate human, financial and infrastructural
  capacity in the region emerged as being integral
  to the core challenges confronted by the public
  sector
• Political instability/uncertainty
• Integration and co-ordination of capacity
  building support initiatives

12
Challenges - 2

• Social-Cultural factors prayer breaks, separate
  rooms
• ODeL concept unknown in Somali
• Limited technology Fiber optic
• Bandwidth Costs - high
• Limited qualified human capital
• Ability to tailor material to local context
• Quality assurance framework
• Obtaining accreditation and articulation
• High cost of Communication Infrastructure

13
Challenges - 3

• Public Sector Skills Expertise
• ODeL vs traditional learning
• Capacity across government organs
• Changes in workforce
• Staff turnover at sites
• Travel visa restrictions
• Donor coordination fatigue

14
Lessons Learned

• Access to communication infrastructure can fast
  track training programmes - the teacher program
  will see Amoud University train and offer degrees
  to over 1,200 teachers by 2010 who are junior
  secondary teachers but are currently teaching at
  high schools due to poor staffing levels in
  schools.
• Using distance learning to offer education
  qualifications is prudent and globally
  acceptable.
• Inadequate infrastructure at local universities
  hinder the responsibility of offering quality
  education to qualified students.

15
Lessons Learned contd

• ODeL partnership to offer open and distance
  e-learning to students provide an innovative and
  practical way of extending access to University
  education to people around the country.
• ICT supported learning has the potential to
  improve the quality of teaching and training in
  Africa.
• African governments, cooperate partners and
  universities need to mainstream Information
  Communication Technology (ICT) in their
  educational policies and higher education to
  increase access to university education.

16
Conclusions

• Online Distance Learning is gaining international
  acceptance as a preferred mode of delivery for
  capacity building initiatives.
• Efficiencies obtained and costs saved should
  compensate for the challenges experienced.
• Technological access and innovative education has
  shown the potential it can have in restoring
  posterity in Somali and hence the international
  community should not tire in further enhancement
  to achieve full sustainability.

17
Websites

• Somali Universities
• University of Hargeisa, http//hargeisauniversity.
  net
• Amoud University, www.amouduniversity.net
• East Africa University, www.eastafricauniversity.c
  om
• Mogadishu University, www.mogadishuuniversity.com
  
• SIMAD, http//simadsom.org
• Puntland State University, www.puntlandstateuniver
  sity.com
• University of Burao, www.universityofburao.com

18
Mahadsanidiin (Thanks)

• Questions?
• Comments!