Botswana

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Botswana
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Images

Elephant in Chobe Afternoon
rest The Bushmen Botswana
National assembly building Okavango Delta
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THE DRAFT BOTSWANA ICT POLICY AND ITS
IMPLICATIONS FOR QUALITY DISTANCE EDUCATION
DELIVERY.

• Boitshwarelo, Bopelo
• (PhD Candidate)Deakin University,
  Australiabopelo_at_gmail.comor bboi_at_deakin.edu.au

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Introduction

• Overview
• Botswana Govt is fully committed to adoption of
  ICT in all sectors of society hence a National
  ICT Policy
• http//www.maitlamo.gov.bw/docs/draft-policies/ict
  _policy_draft_jan_2005.pdf
• Principles upon which the ICT Policy is built
• Providing easy access to valuable information on
  health, jobs and education
• Connecting all schools and libraries to the
  Internet
• Increasing ICT related education for students-
  both children and adults
• Providing Internet Access Centres and Training in
  rural Villages

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• Goals of the paper
• Provide a rationale for technology supported
  distance education
• Outline Thutonet recommendations
• Implications of the recommendations for delivery
  of quality HDE incl. considerations for effective
  implementation

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Background rationale

• Access to Higher education in Africa
• Higher education in Africa characterized by
  limited number of HEIs most with limited
  resources
• In Botswana one University with another one
  expected in a few years several colleges and
  institutes offering Diplomas.
• Therefore limited access for pple fresh from
  schools and for further training.
• Thus the situation in Botswana is consistent with
  the observation by Mackintosh (2005) when he
  says, It is unlikely that countries in the SSA
  Sub-Saharan Africa will have adequate funds to
  expand access using the conventional campus-based
  model p.226

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• Access, Distance education and ICT
• Distance education is increasingly being
  recognized as having a potential to increase
  access (RNPE, 1993)? an increase in DE
  programmes.
• The DE programmes primarily use traditional
  methods of delivery.
• Mackintosh (2005), however proposes that the
  continent will need to explore the potential of
  technology-mediated education notwithstanding the
  challenges associated with the infrastructure
  problem (p.226).
• ICT can greatly enhance the quality of DE
  programmes(Benson, 2003, Epps and Stacey, 2003,
  Weigel, 2004)

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• UB vision with regard to ICT and open and
  distance learning.
• UB hopes to become more innovative and intends to
  Extend access to higher education through the
  utilization of Information and Communications
  Technologies within the framework of lifelong and
  open learning, (University of Botswana, 2004)
• And through CCE hopes to extend the Universitys
  programmes beyond the boundaries of its campuses
  by open and distance learning methods.
• This is the background against which the policy
  recommendations are discussed

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Thutonet recommendations

• Computers for Schools and School connectivity
  Initiative.
• Increase number of computers in schools
• Achieve universal school connectivity provide
  affordable and efficient infrastructure for
  schools and learning centres

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• ICT skills in children and young adults
• Introduction of ICT throughout the curriculum
• ICT and the adult Population
• Generate new and additional skills for the adult
  population using both formal and non-formal
  methods of education

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• Public Libraries
• Provision of Computers and high speed Internet
• Professional Development Programmes for Teachers.
• Basic and applied skills in ICT for teachers esp.
  integration into the curriculum

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Other recommendations

• Connecting communities Programme
• Provide people in all localities with affordable
  access to computers and the Internet
• Community Access Centres and Mobile Internet
  Units(For the remotest parts of the country)
• Connecting Botswana
• Infrastructure enhancement programme which is a
  fast track initiative that aims to strengthen
  Botswana technical infrastructure that will
  support all the programmes.

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Importance of these recommendations for HDE

• Taken collectively these recommendations have a
  potential to transform HDE.
• Community Access Centres and Mobile Internet
  Units will increase access to quality education.
• Blended learning approaches with online learning
  environments as part of the package-gtrich
  content(current and interactive).
• ( Lewin, 2000, Debande and Ottersten, 2004 )
• Opportunities for dialogue and collaboration
  ((Geelan and Taylor, 2003).

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• Connecting Botswana
• Strengthening of Botswanas technical
  infrastructure? efficiency and reliability of
  access
• Infusion of ICT into the whole curriculum
• Children and youth will ensure the next
  generation of youth is ICT literate and therefore
  candidates for lifelong learning.
• Adults can also easily engage in their lifelong
  learning pursuits.

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• Professional Development Programme for teachers
• Teachers need to be competent if they are to
  drive acquisition of ICT literacy.

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Some considerations for effective implementation
in HDE

• Policy will not necessarily translate into
  educational outcomes
• Interplay between Policy and existing realities
  determines the extent of success for
  implementation (Dale, Robertson and Shortis,
  2004)

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• 3 considerations
• Pedagogical issues
• Management of change and innovations
• Collaborations and partnerships
• (See Hammond 1994, Baggot la Velle et al, 2003,
  Unwin, 2005, Davis, 2005)

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Conclusion

• Summary
• Rationale for ICT in education
• UBs aspiration to extend access
• Recommendations and their importance
• Considerations for successful implementation.
• Concluding remarks and recommendations to HEI in
  Botswana
• Proper positioning of DE providers
• Other developing countries may learn smth from
  Botswana

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