|
Back to Index
International
Workshop on Campaign for 1 Million PCs for African Schools with
United Nations founded organization in Johannesburg, South Africa
SchoolNet Africa (SNA)
October 07, 2004
http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/1491.0.html
Download the Workshop
report
- Acrobat
PDF version (464KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your
computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking
here.
Johannesburg, SA - SchoolNet Africa (SNA), in partnership with the Global
eSchools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) - founded by the UN ICT Task
Force, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) will host an international
workshop on the Campaign for 1 Million PCs for African Schools
in Johannesburg, South Africa on 13 and 14 October 2004.
Senior representatives from
the private, civil society and public sectors will attend the workshop.
Schoolnet practitioners and representatives of ministries of education
from 11 African countries will be present as well as representatives from
organizations like Free Geek Inc, Computer Aid International, Shuttleworth
Foundation, NEPAD eSchools, the Dutch and Finnish Embassy, Ungana Afrika,
Direqlearn, Microsoft, DFID's CATIA Programme and HP.
The International
Workshop was called to discuss a full end-to-end implementation plan for
the Campaign for 1 Million PCs for African Schools. This plan
will include how best to source PCs, build capacity , establish targeted
refurbishment centers as education solutiono providers and dispose of
end-of-life PC's in environmentally-responsible ways.
The Workshop will review the
most recent research findings on total cost of ownership, case studies
and African schoolnet experiences with imported second-hand PCs which
have been commissioned by a range of donor and development agencies such
as the IDRC, the IICD, the Commonwealth of Learning and the DFID's CATIA
Programme,. These research findings highlight a number of critical conceptual
issues for debate and will provide guidance to the planning process.
A crucial part of the conference
however, will focus on how SchoolNet Africa and its Campaign partners
could reach the target of securing the first 200 000 PCs to reach an estimated
20 000 African schools in 15 countries; how it will reach the target of
training 200 African schoolnet practitioners (of which 40% will be women)
and the establishment of 10 Technical Service Centres over the next two
years.
Ambassador Astrid
Dufborg of GeSCI says 'History has shown us that development in Africa
is only achieved when led by Africans. In our field - providing and using
technology in schools - SchoolNet Africa is proven as the kind of leadership
that is needed. The 1 Million PC's for African Schools Campaign is a step
up to a new level of ambition which we at GeSCI fully support.'
For more information,
please contact Ms Sara Kyofuna at s.kyofuna@schoolnetafrica.org
About SchoolNet
Africa [www.schoolnetafrica.net]
SchoolNet Africa is one of the first African-led, African-based non-government
organisations that aims to improve education access, quality and efficiency
through the use of ICTs in African schools. SchoolNet Africa works with
learners, teachers, policymakers and practitioners through country-based
schoolnet organisations across the continent.
About Global
eSchools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) [www.gesci.org]
GeSCI was established in recognition of the vital role that education
plays in creating long-term, sustainable development. Information and
Communication Technologies for Education (ICT4E) is a catalyst for improved
education, community empowerment and socio-economic growth. GeSCI partners
with developing countries to facilitate the development of national education
strategies, which are based on endto- end ICT4E solutions. In addition,
GeSCI provides implementation assistance, funding guidance, centralised
procurement, capacity building and knowledge sharing solutions. The founding
members of GeSCI are the United Nations, the governments of Switzerland,
Canada, Sweden, Ireland, the firm McKinsey & Company and NGO SchoolNet
Africa. GeSCI was launched at the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) 2003 by Madame Nane
About the
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) [www.idrc.ca]
The International Development Research Centre was founded in 1970 as a
public corporation created and funded by the Parliament of Canada based
on the conviction that development starts when communities in the South
are able to take responsibility for their growth, using their own ideas
and initiatives. IDRC supports the work of scientists and researchers
in developing countries, In essence, the Centre support innovation from
within the South - creative solutions to development problems that work
in local conditions and that are effective over the long run. In so doing,
the IDRC also strengthens the overall capability of researchers and research
institutions to generate policies and technologies that can help create
more equitable societies. The driving force of the Centre's programming
are its program initiatives. Each of these initiatives focuses on a specific
set of development issues and is managed by a team of experts from a broad
range of disciplines. The funding for this project comes from the Information
Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) programme area in Africa,
the Acacia Programme.
About the
Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) [www.osisa.org]
The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa is a non-profit foundation
established in
1997 by investor and philanthropist George Soros. OSISA is part of an
informal network of 30 autonomous foundations located in Eastern and Central
Europe, the former Soviet Union, West Africa, South Africa, Guatemala,
Haiti and other parts of the world. The foundations share a common mission
of developing more open societies through support to a range of programmes
in education, media, human rights, civil society as well as social, legal
and economic reform.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
