Skip to main content

Certificate course for policy implementers


Six organizations have partnered to strengthen government capacity in the integration of ICT in schools around Africa by introducing a course for policy implementers.
Cisco, Education Impact, Microsoft, Intel, University of Witwatersand (Wits- South Africa) and the World Bank Institute have designed a blended learning programme called the “Certificate in ICT in Education for policy Implementers” for officials and professionals involved in the roll out of ICT in schools and colleges across the African continent.
The programme is aimed at strengthening the knowledge of the middle and senior management government officials whose role is in curriculum leadership, management and policy or planning related to ICT.
“Simply dropping off a computer in a classroom is not a solution to the challenges facing Africa educators, “ says Ntutule Tshenge, Citizenship lead at Microsoft East, West, Central Africa and Indian Ocean Island, adding that “It takes support from government to make ICT implementations sustainable and relevant to local schools.”
A pilot workshop during course development was conducted in August last year and 25 students from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania were selected to undertake the first course.
Currently, there are eight students from Nigeria and Tanzania taking the course at the University of Witwatersand in South Africa.
Tshenye says the students’ fee going for about 3,800 dollars is paid by the respective governments or institutions sending them.
Only students with undergraduate degree, two years experience in curriculum ICT, education or policy and knowledge of ICTs are selected to undertake the three month course . Another intake is planned later this year.
Tshene adds that despite efforts by governments to invest in ICTs, there is still a significant lack of guidance, professional development, opportunities and best practices sharing available to implementers and administrators.
Meanwhile, Ms. Shelly Esque, Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Intel Corporation says, to be competitive in the global economy, nations must prepare today’s students to thrive in tomorrow’s workforce.
The certificate course consists of 3 modules: Computers in Schools for the first three weeks on online introductory, followed by a weeklong workshop at the Wits campus and is completed by a further two months of online course work. Graduates receive Certificate in ICT in Education”, accredited by Wits as a post graduate certificate of competence.
“We design the course specifically to equip policy implementers in Africa with skills they need to bring modern technologies into classroom,” says Ian Moll, Associate Professor, Wits School of Education.
The consortium hopes to attract more students from ministries of education, Universiities and colleges across the continent.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Disruptive Communiction

The need for information has never been more important today with the outbreak of an epidemic of global magnitude. Despite the media being at the forefront in the fight against the Covid-19 virus, it has not been spared either. From the time the first case was reported in the City of Wuhan in China towards the end of 2019, the virus has wreaked havoc across the world leading to massive financial losses. Countries have come up with a raft of measures including lockdowns to contain the highly contagious virus. Recent survey by the Kenya Private Sector Alliance on Business Perspectives on the Impact of Covid-19 on Kenya’s economy paint a gloomy picture. As reporters work diligently to give the world daily updates, they are equally mulling over the effects of the pandemic on their organizations which are dependent on advertisements. Social distancing and stay at home aspects have seen increased demand for alternative news sources with digital media filling the gap. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shadows of Silence

It was on a Wednesday morning as the sun began its ascent over the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow that painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, I found myself on a journey into the heart of a backstreet joint of Majengo area in Githurai, Nairobi County. I had heard whispers of its existence and activities after one of our partners from Community Pop John, Simone Ceciliani , gave me a chilling brief, a place where the vulnerable of society met and conducted their businesses in secrecy. As Simione and I headed to ‘Kije’ place as locally branded, the narrow pathway was dimly lit, and the air thick with loud music from all directions. The tales of forgotten dreams and desperations were evident as we encountered an area of a people living in the middle of a pub zone with commercial sex workers queuing at each entrance waiting for clients. Open sewer lines welcomed us as we put our body muscles to practice through the ‘hop, skip and jump’ motion. Mixed untold smell filled the air...
Post a Comment
Read more

http://www.afronline.org/?p=10487#more-10487

category: Health, Rights and Society, Zambia Study roots for enhancing proper use of ground Water 0 Nov18 Research published this month by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) shows that hundreds of millions of urban people in such countries already depend on this hidden resource. “Water taken directly from wells rather than being piped to users from surface-water supplies such as rivers and reservoirs is rarely taken into account, and it is therefore being used invisibly. This might mean that it is being used unsustainably but it might also mean that groundwater has even greater potential to supply poor communities than is currently thought,” the research says. The study titled Groundwater, self supply and poor urban dwellers: A review with case studies of Bangalore and Lusaka, is based on a paper presented from a review of literature sub-substantiated by two case studies of Bangalore, India, and Lusaka, Zambia, carried out by Dr. Jenny Grönwall, a freela...
Post a Comment
Read more