PARTNERSHIPS - Do they really works? : February 2006 Issue

The monthly publication on ICT and Education for Asia and the Middle East

Volume II Issue 2 February 2006

www.digitalLEARNING.in

India Inc. Leads the Way The President of India presents his vision PAGE 6

Networking for Capacity Building Cisco System PAGE 9

PARTNERSHIPS Do they really work?

Sustaining Collective Thinking Omar Dengo Foundation Costa Rica PAGE 15

Rohit Kumar, Microsoft India on Microsoft Visions in Partnering for Education

PAGE 35

Forty years of Collective Decision Making at SEAMEO

I missed Digital Learning Asia 2006

I attended Digital Learning Asia 2006

Which one are you?

www.digitalLEARNING.in

Contents

Verbatim

Volume II Issue 2, February 2006

Education is also the key to our work to translate into reality the Millennium Development Goals, the blueprint agreed by all the world’s Governments for building a better world in the 21st century.

Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General Message to the World Congress of Education International, 2005 ‌We believe in the importance of life long learning, from early childhood development to primary, secondar y and university education and for people to continue to learn in a world where knowledge has become a key ingredient for countries to grow and compete.

Jean-Louis Sarbib, Senior Vice-President, World Bank, 2005

Regulars

Cover story

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22 27 33

Forty years of Collective Decision Making Southeast Asian Ministers Education Organisation

15

Partnerships Models

6

9

India Inc. Leads the Way Blueprint for a Knowledge Society The President of India presents his vision

Cisco Network Academy Program Lokesh Mehra, Cisco Systems

12 From Innovation to Colloboration

The Hole-in-the-Wall Beyond Computer Literacy Manas Chakrabarti, HIWEL Digital Learning January 2006

Hong Kong Education City

On the web

Two decades of technology enhanced learning environments Maria Eugenia Bujanda Omar Dengo Foundation

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Mark your calendar

Preparing for a Digital Future

Exhibition report

43

Market Place

45

Universal Directions for a Knowledge Society Prof. K Subramaniam, NIC

Networking for Capacity Building

News

Sustaining Collective Thinking

Perspective

19

Bookshelf

Thailand Animation and Multimedia (TAM) 2006, 12-15 January, 2006

http://portal.unesco.org/ education

Upfront

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41

Rohit Kumar, Microsoft India shares his views

Dr Edilberto C. de Jesus, SEAMEO shares his vision

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digital Learning invites authors a Nowt h l y mon

We invite editorial contributions from our readers in the field of Digital Learning. While no guarantee is made or implied, we will make every effort to incorporate all views and experiences in the relevant issues so as to better serve the ICT and Education community at large.

Please be sure to read and follow the Editorial Guidelines above.

Note that contributions may be edited for space and/or clarity.

Unsolicited manuscripts and artwork will not be returned.

Editorial guidelines Digital Learning contains articles and features on the theme of “ICT and Education” and related issues.

Authors are requested to follow the following guidelines while sending their articles to Digital Learning. a. Articles should not exceed 2,000 words. For book/ website/ conference reviews, the word limit is 1000. Longer articles will be considered only in exceptional cases. b. Articles/ reviews can be sent through email as an attachment or through post, typed in Times New Roman, 10 point. c. Relevant figures/ tables/ photographs should be sent. Hard copies of submitted photographs should be of high quality in a recommended size of 5 inches by 7 inches. Soft copies of imagery should be scanned at 300dpi at a minimum width of 4 inches. d. Passport size photographs and brief biodata of the author(s) must be enclosed with the article. e. For bookshelf contributions, please mention the title, name of the author/s, publisher/s, year of publication, price, number of pages and a high quality photograph of the cover. Books on Digital Learning related themes published from the year 2000 onwards are preferable. f. We are keen to cover conference/ workshop/ seminar reviews. Please mention the theme, venue, date, and name of the organiser, if you are reporting about an event. Please send photographs of the conference/ workshop/ seminar. The conference held in the past two months of the forthcoming issue will be preferred. g. The Editor reserves the right to reject, edit and adjust articles in order to conform to the magazine’s format.

All correspondence should be addressed to: The Editor, Digital Learning G-4, Sector-39, Noida, India Tel +91-120-2502180 to 87 Fax +91-120-2500060 Email info@DL.csdms.in

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Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

digital LEARNING Volume II, issue 2 February 2006

Editorial Partnerships: Little steps to lofty goals

President M P Narayanan Editor Ravi Gupta Editorial Consultant Jayalakshmi Chittoor Sr. Assistant Editor Rumi Mallick Sr. Research Associate Manjushree Reddy Designed by Bishwajeet Kumar Singh Editorial and marketing correspondence Digital Learning G-4 Sector 39 NOIDA 201301, India Phone +91 120 2502181-87 Fax +91 120 2500060 Email info@dl.csdms.in Group directors Maneesh Prasad, Sanjay Kumar Printed by Yashi Media Works Pvt Ltd New Delhi, India Digital Learning does not neccesarily subscribe to the views expressed in this publication. All views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors.

Digital Learning is not responsible or accountable for any loss incurred, directly or indirectly as a result of the information provided.

Digital Learning is published in technical collaboration with GIS Development (www.GISdevelopment.net)

It is perhaps easier to build collaborations and partnerships than to sustain it. There are numerous examples of collaborations that have been successful and have been sustained over a long period of time. There are also several examples where conflict of interest among partners has hindered the success of a project.

What are some of the factors that have led to the success of partnerships? What are the processes that have been put in place? What have they kept in mind to address conflicts and challenges? Essentially, partnerships entails all partners have in place formal concepts about their structure, organisation and intention.

Successful partnerships have demonstrated that trust among partners, a clear focus of the partnership with clearly defined objectives and outputs are essential.

Is that all? Doesn’t partnership require an enthusiastic leader who acts as champions of their particular cause? Maybe successful partnerships require the partners to focus on sustainability from the very beginning of designing of any activities.

In this issue of Digital Learning we have attempted to justify our statement and answer some of the above questions. We have selected a few of the collaboration examples in the field of ICT in education, that are successful and which continue to play an important role in bridging the education divide. These initiatives exemplify the public-private partnership models, countrywide partnership models and cross-country network models.

Evidently, more and more national governments are partnering with the private sector leaders for fulfilling their development objectives. Recently, the President of India, Dr A P J Kalam emphasised that role of the private sector in partnering with the government and civil society to build a virtual university as a step towards building the knowledge society. In Asia, several regional partnerships have resulted in effective delivery of development goals. The Southeast Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), for over 40 years, through its regional collaborations, has successfully spearheaded human resource development in Asia, setting an example for many in the region. This issue of Digital Learning magazine brings to you the president’s blueprint for a networked knowledge society and SEAMEO’s outstanding leadership in human resource development.

Also, recognising the criticality of partnership in education and taking forward our vision to facilitate collaboration for education, we have taken the initiative to bring these outstanding Asian collaborations to the forefront of the development community as examples of best practices. We are organizing Digital Learning Asia 2006, an Asian level ‘Partnership for Education’ conference to bring the main stake holders of ICT in Education on one platform to discuss and debate policies and trends and plan for the future of ICT in Education.

Mark your calendar for the 26-28 April and plan to be a part of Digital Learning Asia 2006. Till then, we hope you enjoy reading the Digital Learning magazine.

© Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies 2005

Digital Learning February 2006

Ravi Gupta Editor Ravi.Gupta@csdms.in 5

India Inc. Leads the W ay Way

Blueprint for a Knowledge Society Dr A P J Abdul Kalam presents his vision PURA facilitates creation of employment in the rural areas itself.

PURA achieves this by providing physical, electronic and knowledge connectivities to a cluster of villages thereby leading to their economic connectivity and prosperity.

Knowledge creation and knowledge utilization is the key to the success of a PURA programme.

The President of India, Dr A PJ Abdul Kalam, in his inaugural address at the recent Partnership Summit 2006, in Kolkata, presented his vision for India to become a knowledge society.

Digital Learning shares extracts from his speech and more.

Knowledge society, role of education “The whole purpose of education in a country is to develop and enhance the potential of our human resource and progressively transform it into a knowledge society.”

Addressing the Partnership Summit in Kolkata, India, in January this year, the president of India, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, presented his vision for India to become a knowledge society.

The president envisioned the knowledge society to be a society producing products and services that are rich in both explicit and tacit knowledge, thus creating value added products. The president emphasized “Our education system should realign itself at the earliest to meet the 6

needs of the present day challenges and be fully geared to participate in the societal transformation through innovation, which is the key to competitiveness. It should also develop a global outlook.”

The real capital of this knowledge society will be its knowledge components. Education in this respect has the most crucial role to play in the country’s progression to a knowledge society.

Building a networked society on the foundation of connectivity and partnerships The president proposed two systems of national development that will lead to rural development, the PURA (Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas) system and the national electronic GRID connectivity.

The president further pointed out that integrated Village Knowledge Centres will act as an inter-connected delivery mechanism for tele-education, telemedicine and e-Governance services apart from individual access by the people, within and between the Village Knowledge Centres. This GRID will weave the people together in to a strong social fabric. Apart from economic prosperity it will bring societal transformation.

The president’s vision entails this society to be highly networked to be able to create knowledge intensive environment along with enabling process to efficiently create, share, use and protect knowledge. The networking should happen through an electronic connectivity, partnership between governmental and multiple institutions in the public and private domains and a synergy between various components of education, healthcare, e-Governance and rural development.

With respect to connectivity, the president envisioned the importance of physical connectivity through quality roads and transport and electronic connectivity through telecommunication with high bandwidth fiber optic cables reaching the rural areas from urban cities and through Internet kiosks.

With respect to education, the president emphasised knowledge connectivity through education, Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 1

vocational training for farmers, artisans and craftsmen and entrepreneurship programmes.

The president recomemded that CII create a directory of existing partnerships and make this available to the development community. This will enable propagation of real meaning of globalization and will stimulate more partnerships and draw our youth into partnership operations.

These three connectivities (physical, electronic and education) will lead to economic connectivity through starting of enterprises with the help of banks, micro credits and marketing of the products.

In this respect, the president emphased a public-privatecivil society partnerships in development efforts. The strength of this partnership for collaborative growth and economic prosperity should be facilitated by free flow of knowledge and information in a seamless manner cutting across levels and boundaries embracing all walks of life in the three sectors of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing and the services sector He said “Two decades ago, there had not been many international partnerships in India. Therefore, one could keep track of all the partnerships

entered into by various business houses. In the recent past there is a trend of increased partnerships by India with many countries”.

The president highlighted the importance establishing connectivities among the various components of education, healthcare, eGovernance, rural development. This could be achieved by establishing GRIDs namely knowledge grid, healthcare grid, eGovernance grid and the PURA knowledge grid. These connectivities through GRIDs will maximize the synergy between these various components; bring seamless access and information flow among the various domains leading to maximization of GDP and productivity. This interconnecting grid will be known as societal grid that will promote knowledge sharing, knowledge utilization and knowledge re-use which is very vital for faster economic growth and productivity. ❏

The grand vision- the knowledge GRID-colloborating for educational synergies The president has reiterated the importance of education and capacity building in his vision for a knowledge society in India. His vision entailed the establishment of the Knowledge GRID-Interconnecting Universities with socio-economic institutions, industries and R&D organisations.

In October 2005, the president inaugurated a virtual university programme of the universities of Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. He addressed the students and faculty Digital Learning January 2006

of these Universities through the teleeducation delivery system from Rashtrapati Bhavan.

In April 2005, the Universities of Calcutta, Madras and Mumbai had signed a MoU at Rashtrapati Bhawan in the presence of the president. The MoU envisaged the three Universities to work together academically and socio-culturally. The objective behind this was to create a new wave of synergy amongst the educational institutions, breaking historical and geographical barriers. The president

felt this trend would be a forerunner for many such unification ventures amongst educational institutions to strengthen a borderless education.

The president had pointed out “The networking of these three Universities is the first step towards creating universities that will be able to meet the demands of the knowledge era- an era that was born out of convergence of technologies and it is only natural that the human minds should also converge in the knowledge era.”

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between students (to enable) the virtual university to attract talent from all over the world.

The president emphasized “The universities should provide The President with delegates at the Partnership Summit 2006, Kolkata bandwidth on demand to make Virtual university for seamless the whole country connected through access a knowledge grid…”

The president emphasized the need for seamless access. He insisted that “Universities should facilitate knowledge creation and utilisation.

This was the key to the success of the Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) scheme that facilitated rural self-reliance. Though the country had excellent educational institutions, they could not provide seamless access between providers and consumers of knowledge.”

Dr. Kalam during his visit to Russia had mooted the launch of a youth satellite. He asked all participating universities to offer courses of predictable standards, co-sign the degree given by the virtual varsity and facilitate more interaction between teachers and students.

Apart from tele-resource-sharing between the three universities, the virtual university would enable students of all distance education programmes and affiliated colleges of the universities to access virtual classrooms manned by expert teachers. With high bandwidth being increasingly available, the model virtual university should evolve a common curriculum framed by expert with a mutually organised schedule for lectures. Exchange of a common database should be facilitated and university libraries digitised to enable seamless access. Digital collaborations should be arranged 8

The objective of tele-education was also to motivate young teachers to connect with experts and other teachers. An applet available with the Rashtrapati Bhavan website (http:// presidentofindia.nic.in) would enable the conversion of visual material to audio text to enable visuallychallenged students reap the benefits of tele-education.

In October, 2005, the University of Calcutta was ready to receive a batch of visiting students and visiting faculties from the other two universities. This university has plans to enlarge the programme over a period of time, finalize a collaborative teaching methodology and a new PHD programme and credit based post graduate programme for students of all the three universities.

The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development had sanctioned INR 20 million to Madras University for the virtual university programme and a studio was being constructed, which will be inaugurated in February this year (2006). An expert committee was framing an e-learning curriculum for undergraduate students and a tele-link would soon be formed with Anna University to enable state-level connectivity between affiliated colleges and distance education study centres to bring the latter on a par with institutions offering regular courses.

When a student in Madras University who wanted to know what she could do to make India a developed country, the president replied: “Excel in your education first. Then each of you impart literacy to five others. Plant five trees each in your area.”

World knowledge platform In a move to further accelerate the knowledge creation process, the president also proposed the setting of a world knowledge platform.

The president said this platform involving Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea and India will connect and network universities, institutions and industries using fibre broadband.

“The networked knowledge partners will facilitate knowledge creation, dissemination and sharing that will improve the quality of life of our people and at the same time would reach the world market,” the president said while delivering a lecture in Singapore, in February first week. The president further pointed out “We can use this knowledge grid to network in academic environments to teach courses online and share expensive equipments remotely”.

During the same time, the National University of Singapore (NUS) announced the setting up of an offshore campus in Bangalore - the fifth of the NUS overseas colleges in partnership with the Indian Institute of Science to nurture innovative technology leaders.

As the president reminded all “India has many strengths. It has to reach out and make our individuals and institutions capable of succeeding in a competitive world”, the national educational institutions gears up to fulfill the president’s dream and build new partnership for educational synergies.

Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 1

Networking for Capacity Building

Cisco Network Academy Program Lokesh Mehra [LOKESH@CISCO.ORG], Cisco Systems, South Asia

Cisco Systems runs the Cisco Networking Academy Program through a highly successful alliance between Cisco System, education, business, government and communities to create a pool of trained manpower that can addressed the growing need of networking professionals in a globalised world.

T

he Internet and education will be the great equalizers of the next century, creating enormous opportunities for people and countries that succeed in harnessing the power of information and knowledge. But the lack of Internet-supported education and shortage of technology-savvy workers are global dilemmas, threatening to place nations that fall behind, at a permanent disadvantage in the new economy. Countries around the globe now have the chance to accelerate the development process by embracing information technology and committing themselves to match technological advancement with investment in human skills.

From India’s perspective, the advent of globalisation, the country’s prowess in information technology and a strong educational system are bringing about an ICT revolution. The Digital Learning February 2006

signs are everywhere, whether it’s the phenomenal rate of mobile or Internet adoption (200 million mobile subscribers projected by 2008 and 40 million Internet subscribers by 2010), increased ICT investments by enterprises for competing effectively, small and medium business investing in ICT to become suppliers to global MNCs or state governments looking to bridge the social economic disparity and provide effective citizens centric services. All of these are having an unprecedented impact on the economic development of the country.

Interestingly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Looking ahead, Gartner predicts that the Indian ICT spends will surpass US$54.8 billion by 2008, and achieve a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 19%.

With this growth comes the challenge of growing shortfall of networking professionals in the country.

Networking forms the backbone of the ICT revolution. While there has been a growth in the number of IT professionals in India there is an increasing shortfall of networking professionals. This is likely to have a detrimental effect on ICT adoption across all sectors in the future.

A recent report by e-Value Serve suggests that the current demand for networking professionals in India stands over INR 200,000. However, only 140,000 are currently available indicating a deficit of more than 50,000 professionals. This deficit is expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.64% till 2010. In short, this current demand-supply gap is expected to widen further, posing serious concerns for the growth of BFSI, telecom and BPO/ITES verticals in the country. BFSI which currently accounts for 20% of the total demand networking professionals is expected to witness an additional demand of 9

over 41,000 networking online assessment, student Since its launch in networking performance tracking, instructor professionals. professionals training and support, as well as 1997, the program during 2005-10, The CNAP offers a preparation for industry standard driven by solution to address certification. It provides educational has grown to more regulatory the need for greater institutions with leading-edge IT than 10,000 compliance. technology literacy. curricula and hands-on lab exercises Telecom sector, In developing and to train a workforce that may worldwide which currently emerging markets, attract highly desirable accounts for the content and technology employers. academies in over around 16% of the learning 160 countries with total demand of methodologies One of the most popular courses, networking provide a significant Cisco Certified Networking Associate curriculum taught professionals, is step forward in (CCNA) is a complete, four-module expected to witness education and program on the principles and practice in nine different an additional opportunity for of designing, building, and languages. demand of over participating maintaining networks capable of 75,000 students. The key supporting national and global professionals promise: a way to organizations. The Cisco Networking during 2005-10. BPO/ITES is the spur growth in a segment will witness the highest global economy growth in the demand with a CAGR of that places high 35% during the period 2005-10. Due to value on an increase in technology adoption, technology the demand for networking leaders. professionals in the governance and the retail sector is also expected to Since its launch in increase considerably.

1997, the program has grown to more Cisco Networking Academy than 10,000 Program- a response to global worldwide needs academies in over 160 countries, with Cisco Systems, Inc. is the worldwide curriculum taught MoU signing between John Chambers, CEO, Cisco Systems Inc. leader in networking for the Internet. in nine different and Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Today, networks are an essential part languages. Over Technology, Govt. Of India of business, education, government 1.6 million students and home communications, and Cisco participate in academies operating Academy Program is in line with Internet Protocol-based (IP) in high schools, colleges and needs of colleges, and features networking solutions are the universities, technical schools, hands-on, project-driven training in foundation of these networks. community-based organizations, high-demand job skills. It incorporates and other educational programs an e-Learning system that includes Cisco Systems runs the Cisco around the world. multimedia curricula, online testing, Networking Academy Program performance-based skills assessment, (CNAP), a timely response to such The program objectives and and classroom management through a challenges in India and around the modules Web interface. world. It is a highly successful alliance between Cisco Systems, The program empowers people The Networking Academy program education, business, government, and through e-Learning environments that also offers courses sponsored by communities. Through an innovative enable them to learn anytime, Hewlett-Packard and Panduit Corp. as partnership with educational anywhere, at their own pace, and with a part of the overall basket of course institutions across the world, the more targeted assessments and offerings. The sponsored curriculum CNAP is a world wide philanthropic accountability than traditional enhances IT competencies program (part of Cisco’s corporate classroom settings. It is an e-Learning throughout the the program and, by social responsibility initiative) aimed model that delivers web-based broadening its scope, offer more at creating a pool of trained manpower educational content developed by students the opportunity to take that can address the growing need of networking and education experts, advantage of the program.

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Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

Cisco partnering for education There are several successful examples of the positive impact of the Cisco Networking Academy Program on various countries/economies. One of them is the Jordan Education Initiative for which Cisco Systems was awarded last year’s US Award for Corporate Excellence.

The Jordan Education Initiative (JEI), an ambitious e-Learning project, is helping improve Jordan’s educational

Students in a class in Bhutan

foundation and establish an Internetenabled learning model that can be replicated around the globe. Cisco Systems President and CEO John T. Chambers proposed the idea of creating the JEI at the January 2003 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, as a way for companies to join forces with government and nonprofit organizations to create a technologybased education program.

Cisco and the WEF, along with World Links (a Washington, D.C.based organization devoted to using the Internet to improve education), and several Jordanian ministries, launched the JEI five months later.

The Jordan Education Initiative supports the Jordanian government’s vision of building a knowledge-based economy by providing lifelong learning opportunities for all citizens.

Digital Learning February 2006

The JEI’s broad application of elearning, hardware, curricula, and training is already transforming education in public schools throughout the country.

The Jordan Education Initiative has set the stage for similar initiatives to be replicated in other parts of the world. One such initiative is Cisco Systems’ partnership with the Indonesian Government. Indonesia’s efforts to produce a whole new generation of IT professionals with a strong foundation in networking and the Internet received a major boost in 2004.

Cisco Systems and the Indonesian Ministry of Education signed an agreement to extend the Cisco Networking Academy Program to 400 vocational schools across the country, in an initiative spearheaded by the Directorate of Technical and Vocational Education to support Indonesia’s economic growth and public and private sector requirements.

Another example is the Rajasthan Education Initiative (REI) that was launched in November 2005. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Government of Rajasthan, India and Cisco Systems, to introduce the Networking Academy Program to 32 district computer education centers.

Cisco will initially provide training to 100 teachers, who in turn will train 3200 students with fundamental IT skills in the first year of the project.

As part of the initiative, Cisco will also provide consulting services on networking and security aspects for connectivity within the Education Department Computerization Program and its data center to link locations within the state.

The key demographic groups that the REI will focus include: girl children, rural children, urban underprivileged children, children with special needs.

Outside of REI, Cisco has setup more than 130 Networking Academies across 20 States and Union Territories, with more than 6000 active students. These academies look to bridge the digital and gender divide in the country by providing career opportunities to aspiring students in the networked digital economy. The networking academies include institutes like IIIT Bangalore, Anna University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Guru Gobind Indraprastha University, IMT Ghaziabad, PNB Institute of Information Technology and several government polytechnics. There are also six academies that impart networking and basic IT essentials education to women. The academies are in Jaipur, New Delhi, Pune, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh.

Other countries where the Cisco Networking Academy Program is running successfully in the Asia Pacific region include China with 219 Academies and 12,445 students, Australia with 212 academies and 8,732 students and Philippines with 136 academies and 26,990 students among others.

Looking ahead The Cisco Networking Academy Program is playing a key role in building technical human capacity across the world, especially developing nations. It is providing new opportunities to countries and individuals to participate in the digitally networked economy. Cisco will continue to work with governments around the world to expand the reach of the program.

It will also keep evolving the curriculum to keep pace with technological advancements and extend it to new areas/technologies such as IP telephony and wireless among others. ❏ 11

From Innovation to Colloboration

The Hole-in-the Wall Beyond

Computer Literacy

Manas Chakrabarti [MANAS@NIIT.COM], Hole-in-the-Wall Education Ltd. (HIWEL), India NIIT’s Hole-in-the-Wall initiatives have essentially made a significant difference in the learning outcomes of children, promoting selflearning, providing opportunities for articulation and expression and even improved social cohesion. With an established model, NIIT extents these initiatives through colloboration with state governments in India.

R

aj Kishore, an eight year old, is deaf and mute from birth. Till about a year ago, he was disconnected from his slum community, unable to communicate and often turning violent. Then something magical happened – a TVlike toy was installed near his home.

Except it wasn’t really a TV, he could paint wonderful pictures on it, and best of all, no one scolded or hit him for touching it. Today, Raj Kishore is a different child – self assured, always smiling and ready to help younger children at the Hole-in-theWall Learning Station.

The initial experiments with the Holein-the-Wall showed that groups of children could learn how to use a computer and the Internet all by themselves. And to let this happen, the computer had to be placed in an outdoor, playground setting and the children had to have unconditional access to it. Also, there were several

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hardware and software innovations made to ensure computers work in harsh, unsupervised conditions. Most people tend to think of the Hole-inthe-Wall as an interesting method for children to learn to use a computer.

But is that all there is to it?

Extending the model Once the viability of the model was proven in terms of acquisition of functional computer literacy, we started exploring applications of the model in other domains of learning.

The most obvious extension was elementary education because the age group of children we were studying was 6-14 years.

Several studies measuring the learning achievement of children in curricular subjects showed that the Hole-in-the-Wall was making a significant difference to learning outcomes. From what we understand

of the Hole-in-the-Wall pedagogy, the outcomes are not merely a matter of the children accessing educational content on the computer. There are two critical factors that influence outcomes. First, the outdoor playground setting changes the mindset of the children. They don’t think of it as a structured educational intervention, but interact in a playful exploratory way. And second, children always work in groups at a learning station. The constant conversation, challenging of assumptions and teaching each other creates an extremely rich learning environment.

One of the biggest gaps in current teaching practices in rural schools is the lack of opportunities for articulation and expression. Children do not have a voice. Articulation is a critical aspect of any form or level of learning and especially important in early schooling. At Hole-in-the-Wall learning stations, children are Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

were all too happy to accept the challenge. These will be the first implementations of Hole-in-the-Wall in tribal areas and our learning from this project will certainly lead to further innovations and strengthening of the model.

Beyond Basic Literacy

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan gets a first-hand impression

engaged in projects such as creating photodocumentaries on the computer.

Not only does this provide opportunities to use interesting new equipment and software, but also changes the perceptions of the children. Looking at their lives through a camera lens, and attempting to write commentary on what they see, raises questions in their minds that would otherwise never surface.

four upper-primary schools in Jhalawar The willingness of district is currently the Governments of being implemented.

Soon after, Jammu Rajasthan and & Kashmir decided to implement a pilot Jammu & Kashmir project in four to try a new and districts, including in the Kashmir unusual pedagogy valley. The educational shows that the establishment, and criticism that especially the government government lack bureaucracy, is often criticized for motivation and its lack of willingness to motivation and its unwillingness to make real make real contributions. The contribution is not willingness of the entirely justified governments of If the Hole-in-theRajasthan and Wall does indeed Jammu & Kashmir improve learning outcomes at the to try a new and unusual pedagogy elementary level, is it a viable solution shows that this criticism is not within the framework of Sarva Shiksha entirely justified.

Abhiyan (India’s ‘Education for All’ program)? Two States have decided to Another recent project we are really find an answer to this question with excited about is in the tribal areas of pilot projects in rural schools.

Andhra Pradesh (AP). The Department of Tribal Welfare of AP Rajasthan was the first early adopter wanted to test the idea of Hole-in-theof this innovation. The first project in Wall in a few tribal schools, and we Digital Learning February 2006

When the Delhi Government did a survey of the community in Madangir, New Delhi, which is home to our longest-running project, two very interesting ideas emerged. 85% of the respondents said that the Hole-in-theWall helps develop confidence and pride in children. Also, 79% of the respondents agreed that these learning stations improve social cohesion. In our informal interactions with the community, we heard that petty crime in the area had reduced.

Are we onto something much larger than just computer literacy and elementary education?

This is exactly the question we are attempting to answer in a research project recently started in Chharanagar, Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat. This project is being done in collaboration with Sneh Prayas, a reputed local NGO. But first, a little bit about the Chharas.

Formerly nomads, the Chharas were included in the list of criminal tribes by the British and virtually imprisoned in labor camps. In 1952, the Criminal Tribes Act of 1911 was finally repealed, and the Chharas were resettled in the outskirts of Ahmedabad. However, even today the Chharas continue to be discriminated against in education and employment. And the reputation of Chharanagar as the brewing center of illicit liquor in an otherwise dry state doesn’t help either.

The Hole-in-the-Wall project in Chharanagar is an attempt to study the relationship between collaborative, informal learning and the perceptions and achievement motivation of children. We hope 13

India that most city dwellers rarely encounter. I often talk about a photograph we took in a village school in Jharkhand – when you see the picture, you can’t tell which way is up because the room has no furniture or electrical fixtures. Although a majority of Indian villages theoretically have electricity, power is available only for a few hours and often only at night.

Many times the absence of a basic road itself is a hurdle.

I remember our implementation team had to carry all the equipment on their heads for the last mile in Stok village. This is in Ladakh, the Himalaya’s cold desert region, where a brisk walk can leave you with burning lungs.

Sometimes people ask us if it’s even relevant to talk about the Hole-in-the-Wall when basic needs like nutrition, water and healthcare are not met.

Should we even think about computers when a village has no power and no roads?

that the Hole-in-the-Wall along with other initiatives in Chharanagar, most notably the Budhan Theatre, will help Chhara children discover their potential.

I had the opportunity to watch a street play by children in Chharanagar, and was amazed at the talent and expression of the children. However, their future will depend not just on self-belief, but also on the attitudes and perceptions of society at large about “de-notified criminal tribes.”

There is no doubt about the centrality of education in all issues of development. And when we talk about education, we are not just talking about literacy lists, but about self-esteem, awareness of rights and the joy of learning.

One can see this joy in the faces of the children in Baran.

This is a village inhabited by traditional musicians of Rajasthan (made famous by the master musician Gazi Khan). The children had never seen a computer before, but in a few hours had figured out how to record sounds and play them back on the computer.

And for the first time in their lives, they heard a recording of their own singing.

Challenges Being a part of the Hole-in-the-Wall gives me a chance to see a face of 14

Sure there are challenges, but this country has the ability to overcome them. ❏

The Hole-in-the-Wall experiment Dr Sugata Mitra who heads the Centre for Research and Cognitive Systems at New Delhi’s NIIT, believes that children, even terribly poor kids with little education, can quickly teach themselves the rudiments of computer literacy. The key is for teachers and other adults to give them free rein, so their natural curiosity takes over and they teach themselves. He calls the concept “minimally invasive education.”

Dr Mitra with his team conducted an interesting experiment in the slums of the capital. He initiated his experiment by taking a PC connected to a highspeed data connection and imbedded it in a concrete wall next to NIIT’s headquarters in the south end of New Delhi.

Thus slum children were given access to a computer and the Internet through a kiosk, though most of these children were not attending school and did not know the English language.

Despite these formal handicaps, the children quickly took to the computer and began experimenting with various applications and websites. They invented their own vocabulary to describe different computer functions and quickly developed a shared information-bank on it.

Following the success of this Minimally Invasive Education (MIE) programme, in November 2000 the Delhi government made computers and the Internet available to underprivileged citizens in several slums.

The project, known as ‘Hole in the Wall’, is said to be the first of its kind in the world.

NIIT has provided the hardware and the software, and MTNL has provided a free ISDN line. The supervision and maintenance of these cyberkiosks is being undertaken by the community itself.

Learning Vol 2 Issue 2 Source :Digital www.infochangeindia.org

Sustaining Collective Thinking

Two decades of technologyenhanced learning environments Maria Eugenia Bujanda [MARIA.BUJANDA@FOD.AC.CR], Omar Dengo Foundation, Costa Rica

Omar Dengo Foundation, over the past two decades, has made partnership constitution, growth and sustainability as its fundamental goal, engaging the government, corporate, academic and international agencies, to bring about strategic change in the learning schemes and the appropriation of ICTs in education.

T

he widespread integration of technology-enhanced learning environments into Costa Rican public elementary schools began in 1987 with the creation of the National Program of Educational Informatics.

The project was conceived in a moment of growing concern for the technological, educational and socio-economic gap that the country experienced both at the international level —with relation to industrialized countries—, and at the national level —among different population groups, areas and sectors within the country.

As a result, the government and other leading political, social and economic actors jointly envisioned a Program oriented to introduce technology to schools, as a tool to bring about strategic change in learning schemes and appropriation of digital technologies in order to prepare the country for the

Digital Learning February 2006

knowledge and technology- based emerging economy.

and understanding of math and science.

The Costa Rican national program of educational informatics

Partners involved in the program

The Program was conceived as a key national effort, designed to impact the education system and the Costa Rican society. From the beginning, the computer was considered a tool to stimulate the cognitive and creative potential of children, youth and teachers.

The National Program of Educational Informatics, Costa Rica, chose computer programming and projectbased, curriculum-related learning strategies as decisive resources for the new student-centred learning environment. It has also had a strong focus on improving learner’s problem-solving and thinking skills and strengthening the interest

Partnerships have made it possible to reach and even exceed the initial objectives of the Program.

At the core of these partnerships, is the collaboration established between the Omar Dengo Foundation (www.fod.ac.cr), a private non-profit entity, and the Ministry of Public Education (www.mep.go.cr). Other organizations from the corporate, academic and international cooperation sectors have made critical contributions at different moments throughout the two decades of project existence.

From the beginning, the Omar Dengo Foundation has played a fundamental role in partnership constitution, 15

• The Omar Dengo Foundation (ODF) leads the Program and is in charge of its academic, logistic and financial management. It also conducts the training of teachers and specialized personnel as well as the pedagogical and technological support actions. It provides the evaluation, research and development components too. Likewise, it is accountable to the Ministry and the National Controller.

ODF also facilitates funding for the project and conducts fund raising activities to support different Program initiatives.

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID) granted the necessary funds for the launching of the program. It also provided ODF with an endowment that was critical to guarantee program sustainability, particularly in the initial phases.

Elementary School students show their work at an Educational Informatics Lab

growth and sustainability. As is evident from the description and analysis of the first members involved in the initial phases (1987-1990), there has been a wide representation of sectors and organizations: •

16

The Ministry of Public Education defines education policy issues.

It also provides a linkage to educational institutions participating in the Program and supplies the educational informatics tutors who lead the activities within the computer labs, as well as the specialized personnel assigned for its implementation with students and teachers. Since this is an official national program, the Ministry also supports the program financially. The relationships between the Omar Dengo Foundation and the Ministry are framed by agreements and laws that define the roles and responsibilities of each partner.

•

•

IBM was the IT company from which the initial computers were purchased. As part of the tender granting requirements, it also facilitated the participation of Seymour Papert and a group of Media Lab specialist as educational and technical advisors and collaborators.

The Media Lab of the Massachussets Institute of Technology contributed to the pedagogical and strategic design of the Program, which was developed jointly with other Costa Rican experts. This contribution extended far beyond the initial limits of the IBM-related consultancy period. Their major collaboration has always been associated to epistemological and learning

The Omar Dengo Foundation is a non-governmental organization that works on expanding children’s knowledge with the use of computers and teaching methods that reinforce creativity in children.

The Foundation emphasizes on training and capacity building activities for teachers, conducts research, and provides special programs to help individuals, institutions and businesses gain access to new technologies and innovative teaching methods.

The FOD relies on a multidisciplinary founders group comprised of entrepreneurs and intellectuals widely renown in the national environment.

Since its creation in 1987 to date, the FOD has marked an important path in the field of innovative education in Costa Rica. FOD has contributed in a decisive way to renovate the national educational processes at all levels including children and elderly people through the introduction and exploitation of digital technologies, and over all, of theoretical and pedagogical concepts that are the foundation to these innovative applications.

Its different projects have benefited more than one million and a half Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

issues, particularly in relation to teacher training in computer programming (Logo during the first phase and Microworlds and robotics more recently).

Omar Dengo Foundation www.fod.ac.cr Costa Ricans, among which there are children, young students, teachers, community people and older adults, within formal and informal education schemes.

•

The University of Costa Rica assigned six professors who, together with other Ministry of Education teachers, formed part of a core leadership group that was trained at the Media Lab and that contributed significantly to Program design, policy, training orientation and follow up procedures.

•

Local communities are a key stakeholder. They Elementary provide the classroom, furniture, security measures and other elements necessary for the computer labs to function. Each school’s education board and groups of participating parents do fundraising activities and organize to comply with these infrastructural requirements.

FOD has shared its experience with national and international entities that need to implement computing educational programs.

This advice includes pedagogical, methodological, and administrative aspects that also embrace proposals in the field of learning by design.

FOD’s main areas of work are educational informatics, professional development and teacher training, educational innovation, information and communication technologies for all, online learning and digital production, research and evaluation of educational projects related to the use of technology, informatics, telecommunications and technical support, knowledge management and organizational development and project development and management.

FOD has conducted various studies and evaluations to measure ICTs’ educational impacts and have already shown areas where further research is necessary. Recently, International Development Research Organization (IDRC) has chosen to support FOD’s initiative, where it will work closely with high-level Costa Rican experts panel to identify how ICTs can better contribute to social and educational development.

(This article is based on a case study conducted with the support of a grant from IDRC.) Digital Learning February 2006

School students children at the Educational Informatics Lab

The partnering process The Costa Rican government set up a technical commission integrated by experts in education, technology and finances in order to establish the basic guidelines of the project. One of their first decisions was to create an

Factors that sustain partnerships 1.

2.

3.

4.

Capable and respected leaders and partner representatives with long term vision and commitment Explicit individual member interests and expectations from partnership Common goals, resources and will to sustain collaboration over time Receptiveness and flexibility to reconsider and renegotiate decisions and agreements

5.

6.

7.

Direct communication, respect and perspective-taking capacity Transparent and open participation in decision-making processes Clear roles, balanced responsibilities and well-defined accountability procedures 8. Emphasis in results and outcomes of common interest 9. Regular dialogue, evaluation of progress and sincere feedback 10. Explicit efforts and activities for partnership strength and maintenance 17

independent and It was due to the Multi-stakeholder private foundation quality of the to oversee the educational partnerships have project. This would proposal that IBM allow the project made it possible for won the bid. Its have greater proposal integrated over 1.5 million technical, Seymour Papert and administrative and a group of children and youth financial autonomy specialists from the and to reduce the to benefit from this Media Lab at MIT risks frequently as consultants. In education initiatives parallel, the associated to changes in technical in a country of government commission set out administration. The to raise funds for the 4.1 million Omar Dengo initial phase of the inhabitants.

Foundation was project and obtained thus conformed and financial support soon acquired its from USAID. distinct and own personality. It has played a The key success factors that crucial role as the lead partner are at the base of this partnership together with the Ministry of are clearly related to the vision, Public Education. leadership and commitment of the lead partners and their ODF launched an international representatives. The capacity to tender in order to search for a make technical decisions, implement company that could supply the efficient processes and respect computers required for the Program. strict accountability and transparency It was explicitly required that measures have been critical to the participating companies suggest excellent partnership outcomes pedagogical frameworks and and to the recognition of mutual accompanying software within need. Among all members, there is which the technology would be used. a clear consensus about the They were also required to present importance and effectiveness of research and evaluation information the multi-stakeholder approach. as to how these educational approaches had been used in Multi-stakeholder partnerships other contexts and to document have made it possible for over 1.5 their results. million children and youth to

Factors that hinder partnerships 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

18

Inadequate handling of political and government changes Unclear roles and expectations of members Lack of information, dialogue and communication in decision-making processes Lack of agreement among partners about program goals and interests Absence of transparency in project or member objectives and management Differences about issues of program or project ownership Inadequate recognition of contributions to project provided by the different partners Prejudice or mistrust generated by changes in partner leaders or member representatives

High School students at an Educational Informatics Lab

benefit. This is quite an accomplishment in a country of 4.1 million inhabitants. These collaborations and others that have developed over time, have made it possible to have the Program grow and evolve over two decades of uninterrupted work. Today, the Program reaches 53.0% of students in public elementary schools (including a large number of kindergarten children) and 72.4% of public high school students nationwide.

Likewise tens of thousands of teachers have been trained and have undergone important professional development experiences. Students, teachers, educational authorities and even parents and community members have been empowered by a Program that stresses the cognitive and creative potential of digital technologies within development efforts. â??

Read the Digital Learning weekly e-Newsletter at www.dl.csdms.in/currentnewsletter.htm Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

Preparing for a Digital Future

Universal Directions for a Knowledge Society Prof. K. Subramanian [KSMANIAN48@GMAIL.COM], National Informatics Centre, India

For a pervasive life long learning movement in India, we will have to strengthen the learning foundations, provide a broad range of learning opportunities and recognize and reward learning regardless of why, where and how it takes place. Policy initiatives should focus on strengthening the knowledge society.

Learning & education Educational systems and learning societies, recognizing the cognizance of the acquisition of knowledge, collation, organization and interpretation — has undergone a tremendous change in recent past, with the global access to information.

Learning styles have necessitated changes in the existing pedagogic approaches. The role of the teacher has become more of a co-learner and a strong facilitator of learning.

Successful national and international experiences have shown how new and innovative uses of IT for e-Governance, e-Learning through digital technology tools, health care delivery and to provide livelihoods opportunities. e-Education and e-Commerce are making a difference to the lives of people. Rural and urban connectivity with a reliable, available (24X7), affordable, maintainable, robust ICT infrastructure, can benefit the farmers by giving them better and quicker Digital Learning February 2006

information on market conditions thereby eliminating the middlemen and by securing better prices for their produce. Speedy and accurate issuing of land records through IT is another example that has captured the imagination of rural population. Therefore, the methods for taking the digital revolution benefits to the rural population have to be explored far more urgently, and vigorously. A unique model called “Re-urbanization” which advocates clustering of villages for establishing schools, health centers and service facilities and connecting them can become important force.

A knowledge society aims to achieve societal transformation and ethical wealth generation. As a third dimension emerges as a country transforms itself into a knowledge superpower, knowledge protection becomes a critical factor. India is well placed at the dawn of knowledge era.

For India to become a knowledge society, it has to be a learning society first. For life long learning, it is not

only the settings of formal education that are important, but also the settings of home, the work place, the community and the society at large are important. For a pervasive life long learning movement in India, we will have to strengthen the learning foundations, provide a broad range of learning opportunities and recognize and reward learning regardless of why, where and how it takes place.

Policy initiatives on life long learning, should focus on • motivation for the individuals to learn on a continuing basis • equipping them with necessary cognitive and other skills for self direct learning • providing economic as well as easy access to opportunities for learning on a continuous basis • creating incentives to individuals to make it worth while to participate whole heartedly in the process of life long learning In a knowledge society, people are the creators of knowledge capital. And, generation of trained and skilled 19

voices on the global stage. At the same time, network communications can forge closer local communities, providing community information and making local Government more transparent. In the developing countries, they have to use the concept of “online communities” for facilitating, catalyzing, organizing, gathering, structuring, analyzing and making information transparent and available to decision makers for better visualization and conceptualization of socio-economic development programs.

human resources is a key challenge.

The market estimates a requirement of more than three million knowledge workers in multiple technologies.

It is also essential to encourage domestic private sector and people of Indian origin living in other countries to invest in a massive way in education in India, particularly in technical and higher professional education.

Learning societies and some universal directions New concepts such as “On Demand Education”, “Education for All” etc., necessitates partnerships and alliances among tripartite stakeholders, viz., private sector, the government and the communities or institutions ICTs can play a key role in overcoming the challenges. Special emphasis has been given for standardizing Information Technology related curricula and also reforming the educational course contents in the Information Technology related subjects to make the graduates passing out of the institutions to be immediately employable and this requires industry-academia collaboration and co-working. ICTs are also very useful for re-training of 20

the existing work force to make them more productive and use the technology and creativity.

Online communities and societal empowerment The developing economies have to operate by sharing resources and the concept of on-line communities has to be accepted as the better way of implementing the knowledge dissemination as well as economy of transition. The networking technologies are the ideal tool for introducing the concept of online communities to share, exchange, store products and tools and penetrate the global niche market. The entertainment and media industry has to play a greater role in empowering the society. This requires selfregulated supportive media policies to be introduced for the developing nations.

Cutting across tradition of national communities is the rise of “online communities”, drawn together by issues of politics, ethnicity, interests, gender, work or social cause. Online communities exchange debates and have instant responses bringing new lobbying power to previously silent

The global entertainment and media industry - spreading opinion, culture and politics are dominated by handful of major companies. The declining cost of this technology has allowed diversity of voice and culture to be aired. Multi-lingual Internet sites and radio program in local languages reach out to minority groups.

Programs and satellite TV brings news and culture for the people who are away from home, settled across the globe.

ICTs can impact human development by providing information, enabling empowerment and rising productivity.

Telemedicine and Health Net information services can bring critical knowledge to information poor hospitals and health workers. The potential is great, however technology alone will not provide the solution. A number of barriers have to be overcome pertaining to access, lack of skills, lack of management experience, and information. The supplies of materials that need to address the critical health or education problems like medicines, vaccines, clean water etc. have to be also ensured to create a positive impact of ICT introduction in these arena.

For creating enabling empowerment, we may have to provide i)

Internet/communication technologies Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

ii)

Power to NGOs software industry.

Special emphasis to raise voice India has used the and support in e-talented has to be given to global arena manpower iii) Socially availability as the standardization of excluded economic IT related curricula advantage for including women’s groups positioning itself as so that graduate and minorities software super groups be power in the global passing out of enabled to scenario. All the institutions are create cyber multinational communities to companies have employable in find strength in opted to open the online unity and software industries fight the silence development or abuses of centers, design their rights (DATPERS in India centers and service centers in India to and Chinese minorities use Web take cost advantage of skilled human for getting attention of world) manpower for their economic iv) Empowerment of governments of advantage, and many multinational poor nations SIDSNET -a 42corporations have already or are member nation’s forum shares trying to have India Strategies. This data and experience on common has improved India’s economic concerns, energy options, position in terms of monetary in-flow sustainable tourism, coastal and and export of goods and services. marine resources and This is evident from “India biodiversities Everywhere” in Davos in January 2006. Similarly, Korea and China took For enabling the reverse advantage of knowledge flow e-manufacturing advantage and Singapore e-trade facilitation Rural masses possess variety of advantage. traditional technologies. The harnessing of information, Universal networking language communication and networking and cyber kiosks technologies will enable reverse knowledge flow. This will enable For the Internet penetration, language two-way exchange of knowledge plays a very important role especially between urban and rural and a multi-lingual country like India developed and under-developed needs to promote multiple languages economies. For India to become contents delivery through Internet to a software super power, it has promote wide spread penetration. Lot to develop professionals of of initiatives has been taken for multiinternational calibre for software lingual Internet content design and development, content creation public education and trends in Asian and services management. The new language development. Lot of IT policy enabled India to generate creative research is done in this part the necessary technical manpower of the region on automatic translation for the development of software using of contents from one language to the multi-sector resources. other language and also translation of scripts for use in media and public.

The policies that have focussed on The development of Unicode providing quality education in the IT standards and acceptance of these sector have worked well in terms of standards, and pushing the language producing large amount of manpower encoders and decoders to the ISP’s to fulfill the requirements of the will enable to meet the content Digital Learning February 2006

required are to be translated in multilanguages for mass computerization and consumption. Cyber kiosks establishment is one way of knowledge dissemination, for the masses. The Citizen’s Service Centres or CSCs is the best approach for electronic service delivery. This requires ease of access, front-end web enabling and back-end integration of systems and applications. These information networks and kiosks will have an impact to create an effective knowledge society if it can address following seven key factors: - Connectivity and networking - Community access - Capacity building - Local content - Promoting Creativity - adapting technology to local needs and constraints - Collaboration - Cash - finding innovative ways to fund the knowledge society.

The Information Society Index, prepared by the World Times and the International Data Corporation, gives one way of measuring a country’s preparedness, across four types of infrastructure: viz., Information, Computer, Internet and Social. a)

Information: Creating the capacity to send and receive information by telephone, television, radio and fax. b) Computer: Extending access to computers in schools, workplaces and homes, building networks and using software. c) Internet: Expand the Internet in schools, workplaces and homes and enabling Electronic Commerce. d) Social: Building people’s capacity to use information through education, freedom of the press and civil liberty.

When we are exploring and envisioning a vibrant knowledge society for development, ICTs in education can play a critical role. ❏ 21

Bookshelf Expanding Opportunities and Building Coimpetencies for Young People - A New Agenda for Secondary Education

In a globalised world, the demand for quality secondary education which enthuses values, attitudes and skills in the young people is higher than ever before. The economies of today’s world increasingly need a more sophisticated work force equipped with competencies, knowledge and workplace skills which is the most crucial factor for growth and development of economy and society.

Assessing this emerging scenario, there is worldwide policy debate focusing on strategies on providing quality education to the young generation. It is being realized by policy makers that there is urgent need to increase students’ access to secondary education and at the same time improve its quality and relevance.

This report prepared by a team led by Ernesto Cuadra and Juan Manuel Moreno including other contributors under the general direction of JeanLovis Sarbib, Senior Vice President of the World Bank’s Human Development Network.

Expanding Opportunities and Building Competencies for Young People report aims at guiding developing countries and transition economies, in policy options and decision-making for reforming their secondary education systems to meet the challenges presented by globalisation and the knowledge based economy. This report highlights that ICTs are crucial for addressing the twin challenges of expanding access, and improving the quality and relevance of secondary education.

22

This book delivers very important messages on attaining the level of quality secondary Education.

Quality secondary education is a mission on its own. The report argues that The United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) for education can only be achieved through systematic policies for post compulsory secondary education. It also mentions thatsecondary education has a special role to play in HIV/AIDS prevention in affected countries(chapter1 and2).

Secondary education faces twin challenges that is expansion of its equitable access and improving quality to ensure relevance.

It has to be kept in observation that the quality of secondary education is not compromised while expanding its access (chapter 3 and 4).

Advanced work patterns are being adopted which are leading to radically

new approaches in the way curricular knowledge is selected, organized and sequenced. This is important development in the context of knowledge society. Information and Communication Technologies(ICTs) offers new avenues for expanding access to quality secondary education and can be used as levers for curriculum reform and innovation (chapter 5).

There is a focus on response from the perspective of the teaching profession. It also discusses the potential perils and promises linked to the use of ICTs in education in secondary schools (chapter 6).

It is also important to develop multiple sources of funding enhancing measures which is significant for to expand access and improve the quality of secondary education. Public-Private partnership can make very important contribution in making mass secondary education affordable. But this effort need to be complemented by substantial contributions from bilateral and multilateral partners(chapter 7).

To produce good educational outcomes it is required to reform the traditional of state Intervention and public management strategies in order to promote delivery of high-quality secondary education services (chapter 8).

The epilogue titled Rethinking Secondary Education suggests that there is a need for redical transformation of policies and of institutional practices to the task of expanding access and improving the quality of secondary education.

This book sets forth evidence based policy options for decision makers. Data collection and use of quantitative method is impressive and enhances the value of the work. ❏ Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

April 26 - 28, 2006

The Asian conference on e-Government

Rama Gardens Hotel and Resort

The Asian conference on ICT and Education

Bangkok, Thailand

Program Advisory Board Ake Gronlund Professor Örebro University, ESI / Informatics Sweden

Karl Harmsen Director United Nations University - Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA),

P K Mohanty Director General Centre for Good Governance India

Legon - Accra, Ghana

Bruno Lavin Senior Advisor (e-Strategies) World Bank USA

Lars H. Bestle Programmae Specialist-Policy Asia Pacific Development Information Programme (APDIP), UNDP

Peter Moore Region Managing Director - Asia Pacific Public Sector Microsoft, Singapore

Dennis Pamlin Policy Advisor WWF Sweden

Matthias P. FINGER Professor Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne – EPFL Switzerland

Richard Kerby Inter Regional Advisor on e-Government, UNDESA

Devindra Ramnarine

San Ng The Asia Foundation USA

Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, UK

Mohamed Sameh Bedair e-Government Program Director Ministry of State for Administrative Development, Egypt

Jeremy Millard Head, eGovernance Program Danish Technological Institute Denmark

Nagy Hanna e-Leadership Academy,University of Maryland USA

Subhash Bhatnagar egov Practice Group World Bank

Jeongwon Yoon Director National Computerization Agency Republic of Korea

Norma Mansor Dean/Professor, Faculty of Economics & Administration University of Malaya, Malaysia

Kenneth Keniston

Nooraini Mohamed Ismail Dean, Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Malaysia

Advisor (Public Sector Informatics) Governance Institutional Development

Andrew Mellon Professor of Human Development Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Organisers

Co-organiser

Dr. Supachai Yavaprabhas Centre Director SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (SEAMEO RIHED)

Thaweesak Koanantakool Director NECTEC Thailand

Media partners

Institutional partners University of Malaya Malaysia

Supporting partners

Technical Sessions •

e-Government Country Plans

•

Policy and Technology Framework in e-Government

•

Funding and Financing Mechanisms in e-Government projects

April 26 - 28, 2006 Introduction

•

Content Management, Data Standardisation and GUI

•

Public-Private Partnerships and Service Level Agreements

•

Emerging trends in Mobile Government

•

Government Process Re-engineering and Change Management

Asian countries are witnessing a dramatic change in their

•

Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Auditing Mechanisms

economy. So is the scene of e-Governance! Some countries are

•

e-Democracy through e-Government

already topping the international charts of e-Governance, some

•

e-Security and Cyber Laws for efficient Governance

have just begun their journey, while there are a few others

•

ICTs and Rural e-Governance

who are yet to step into the e-Governance arena. The scope for these countries to learn from their advanced Asian

Exhibition

neighbours is immense and opportunities are unbound.

egov Asia 2006 will have an elaborate exhibition of latest e-

The present need is to create a common ground of equitable

Government products, solutions suites, services, initiatives and

learning which facilitates a process of overall development of

case studies from all across Asia and beyond. Professional service

the region.

providers, IT vendors, consulting firms, government agencies and national/international development organisations involved

The Event

in the e-Government domain are encouraged to participate in

egov Asia 2006 - the international conference on e-Government,

the exhibition.

aims to provide a knowledge-sharing platform and a forum for policymakers, practitioners, industry leaders and

Important Contacts

academicians of Asia-Pacific nations to carry forward the

Registration:

registration@egovasia.net

e-Government vision of the region and consolidate them into

Papers:

papers@egovasia.net

actionable programme, through collaborative learning and

For Sponsorship:

sponsorship@egovasia.net

partnerships.

For Exhibition:

exhibition@egovasia.net

Keynote Sessions

For General Information:

info@egovasia.net

Eminent experts and senior government officers from various parts of Asia and outside Asia will discuss the e-Government

Submit abstract online at www.egovasia.net/abstractonline.asp

developments in their respective countries. The discussion will include but not limit to the following topics:

Call fo

•

e-Government trends in Asia

•

e-Government strategies of Asian countries

•

Leadership reflections in e-Government

for egov Asia 2006, Digi Asian Telec

www.egovasia.net

Abstract Submission: Abstract Acceptance: Full Paper Submission:

Asian Telecentre Forum 26-28 April 2006, Rama Gardens Hotel and Resort, Bangkok, Thailand

A conference and workshop programme has been conceptualised to bring the Asian practitioners in a platform for learning and sharing the experiences, and to address critical issues of content, collaboration, sustainability and up-scaling.

Further, issues relating to monitoring projects that have been steered by external financial support, be it from the international development agencies, or from governments in Asia, require close assessment.

We invite stakeholders from various sectors, viz., NGOs, Governments, Private sector, Donors, and Development agencies, Academic researchers etc. to participate in this workshop. Please provide a brief outline (abstract of not more than 500

Keynote Sessions

April 26 - 28, 2006 Today, education and training have become foundation of global competitiveness.

Education and skill levels of human resource are significant determinants of success or failure of human resource-led strategy of a knowledge society in a globalised world. In recent years, several countries in East and Southeast Asia have embarked on the creation of a globally competetive human resource through national education strategies, with a focus on integrating ICT in education at all levels. However countries are still in different stages of this integration, coping with challenges of infrastructure and implementation.

The Conference Digital Learning Asia will take stock of the progress of the Asian countries in utilising Information and Communication Technologies to enhance the quality and reach of education with a focus on building a human capital that responds to the needs of a globalised world. The conference will provide a platform for policymakers, practitioners, industry leaders and academicians to showcase best practices, share experience, knowledge and perspective and learn from exploring solutions to meet challenges of integrating technologies in all level of education.

Exhibition Digital Learning Asia 2006 will have an exhibition of latest e-solutions, services, initiatives and case studies from across Asia and beyond. Professional service providers, IT vendors, consulting firms, government agencies and national/international development organisations involved in the ICT in Education domain are encouraged to participate in the exhibition.

Eminent experts from the education system and senior government officials from various part of Asia and outside will discuss debate the current policies and trends in ICT in education in their respective countries. This discussion will include the following broad themes

National ICT and Education strategies

ICT in Education trends in Asian countries

Best Practices in ICT in Education in Asia

Sessions The conference will focus on the following board thematic sessions

Public private partnership in ICT in education

Technologies for education and training

Information and communication technology education

Online teaching and learning

Distance education/learning elearning in classrooms

Instructional design e-learning content

Monitoring and evaluation of ICT in education

Quality standards in e-content

Future trends in e-learning

Important Contacts Registration:

registration@DLasia.csdms.in

Papers:

papers@DLasia.csdms.in

Sponsorship:

sponsorship@DLasia.csdms.in

Exhibition:

exhibition@DLasia.csdms.in

General Information:

info@DLasia.csdms.in

or Papers

ital Learning Asia 2006 and centre Forum

Submit abstract online at www.DLasia.csdms.in/abstractonline.asp

February 28, 2006

and

We welcome new themes/session ideas.

www.DLasia.csdms.in

March 05, 2006 March 30, 2006 words) of your work and perspectives that you wish to share.

You will have an opportunity to showcase your work, share your experiences in presentation sessions and/or share case stories. The format of the workshop will be participatory, and will be facilitated.

Keynote Sessions Taking stock of Asian Telecentre movement Telecentres: Content, Connectivity, Capacity Building Best models and upscaling For more details: info@asiantelecentreforum.net

Conference Secretariat Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) G - 4, Sector-39, NOIDA - 201 301, India Tel: +91-120-2502180 to 87, Fax: +91-1202500060 URLs: www.egovasia.net, www.DLasia.csdms.in, www.asiantelecentreforum.net E-mails: info@egovasia,net, info@DLasia.csdms.in info@asiantelecentreforum.net

www.asiantelecentreforum.net

Organisers’ profile Supporting partners AEN (Asia e-Learning Network) In September 2001, the Japanese government with the help of people republic of China and republic of Korea helped establish the “Asia e-Learning Initiative” to promote economic development and human resources training in the region. www.asia-elearning.net

APDIP (Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme), UNDP In collaboration with National Governments, APDIP seeks to assist national and regional institutions in AsiaPacific to improve access, knowledgesharing, networking, and management, and application of ICTs for social and economic development.

information technologies through research and development activities. www.nectec.or.th

NOLP NSTDA Online Learning Project (NOLP) was created by the National Science and Technology Development Agency. The main goal of this special project was to research and develop technology for education, provide new methods of education, and to be a leader among online education providers. www.thai2learn.com

SITF The Singapore infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) is Singapore’s premier infocomm industry association, which brings together around 400 corporate members from MNCs and local companies. www.sitf.org.sg

www.apdip.net

The Centre for Good Governance

The Centre for Good Governance (CGG) was established by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, India in October, 2001 to help it achieve the State’s goal of transforming governance. www.cgg.gov.in

SEAMEO The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is a chartered international organization whose purpose is to promote cooperation in education, science and culture in the Southeast Asian region. www.seameo.org

SEAMEO RIHED EPFL The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL) is, with its sister school in Zurich, one of Europe’s leading institutions of science and technology. The threefold mission is: to educate engineers and scientists; to be a national center of excellence in science and technology; and to provide a hub for interaction between the scientific community and industry. www.epfl.ch

NECTEC National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) is a statutory government organization under the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Ministry of Science and Technology, Royal Thai Government. Its main responsibilities are to undertake, support, and promote the development of electronic, computing, telecommunication, and

SEAMEO RIHED is hosted by the Thai government with the vision is to be a catalyst in higher education with an emphasis on management and administration. www.rihed.seameo.org

SIPA Software Industry Promotion Association (SIPA) is a Thai goverment agency to promote software industries by stimulating the varying channels of marketing both in domestic and international. www.sipa.or.th

SOFTWARE PARK Software Park Thailand is an organisation under the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA). Software Park Thailand (SPT) promotes and supports those in the software industry in procurement of human resources, marketing, securing investment and access to and understanding of the latest technology. www.swpark.or.th/

Organisers Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) is a leading Asian non-governmental institution engaged in advocacy, research and community building in e-government, Digital Learning, ICT for Development and knowledge management issues. www.csdms.in

Institutional partners The University of Malaya, Faculty of Economics and Administration UNIVERSITI MALAYA, the first University of the countr y, was established on 8 October 1949 as a national institution to serve the higher education needs of the Federation of Malaya and Singapore. The University of Malaya was set up to help lay the foundations of a new nation by producing a generation of skilled and educated men. The University’s motto, “Ilmu Punca Kemajuan” (Knowledge is the key to success) reflects the philosophy of the University in its constant endeavour to seek knowledge in all fields to produce successful graduates and a successful nation. www.um.edu.mu

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA MARA College was officially renamed Institut Teknologi MARA (ITM) on 14 October 1967. Its establishment came as a response to a crucial need in the country of Malaysia for trained manpower in the professional and semiprofessional levels. In August 1999, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad announced the change of name of ITM to Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). www.uitm.edu.my

NUS (National University of Singapore) Established in 1905 and acknowledged as one of the finest universities in the world, National University of Singapore (NUS) is a comprehensive university offering a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. NUS enjoys a close teaching-research nexus with 13 national-level, 12 university-level and more than 60 faculty-based research institutes and centres. www.nus.edu.sg

Rangsit University Rangsit University is the most comprehensive private University with the most diverse faculties in Thailand, producing substantial manpower resources for the society and for serving the country. www.rsu.ac.th

Co-organiser GIS Development GIS Development strives to promote and propagate the usage of geospatial technologies in various areas of development for the community at large.

It remains dedicated to foster the growing network of those interested in geoinformatics worldwide and Asia in particular. www.GISdevelopment.net

Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Denmark The Danish Technological Institute (DTI) is one of the oldest technological institutes in the world. DTI has successfully carried out projects like BEEP (Best eEurope Practices), PRISMA (Providing innovative service models and assessment). www.danishtechnology.dk

News What do you look for in these pages? Ripples, trends, exclusives, diversities…? Some of the first classes of journalism school too say-news is change. But for us, it’s a really big change. We collect the information from all around the world and re-purpose for presentation as e-Learning. For us, these news pages are information with a purpose. The purpose is to provide readers a corridor through which they find information they need to understand the world of education. Making this purpose our goal, this month’s news pages offer an outlet and forum for our readers to discuss recent headline e-Learning news.

INDIA INVITE fuelling grassroot level IT growth in India IBM India and the Board for IT Education (BITES) have launched ‘Project INVITE’, an initiative aimed at fuelling growth of IT at grassroot level.

The project INVITE (Initiative to Nurture a Vibrant IT Ecosystem) aims at significantly contributing to capacity building efforts in the Indian state Karnataka by enhancing the local talent pool and leveraging the ecosystem to fuel the growth of IT at the grassroot level. The project complements the IBM academic initiative programme to help universities train students on open source, open standards based technologies and IBM technologies for a more competitive workforce. The major objectives of the project are building a repository of e-Governance prototype and make it freely available to government agencies, solution providers and academia. http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/ 181_1607252,00020020.htm

Indian varsity to log into e-Learning Delhi University in India has embarked on elaborate plans for an eLearning platform, so that the vast resources may soon be available Digital Learning February 2006

online, not just for the purpose of distance education but even for students pursuing regular programmes in its colleges.

The background work has already been completed and if plans are on course, the university hopes to have it’s first e-Offering uploaded within a

year’s time. Apart from complete lessons being made available on the internet, the other part of the project would be e-Classrooms with university faculty taking real-time classes attended by students from farflung corners of the country. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ articleshow/1387689.cms

Sarva Shiksha gains not universal

Universalisation of elementary education through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has not percolated to the marginal social groups (SCs/ STs/OBCs and Muslims) and a sizeable section (nearly 40%) of disabled children. Besides, the maximum overall dropout rate (20%) is after the completion of class V. In an exhaustive survey, based on data collected from 87,874 households and conducted by IMRB and commissioned by HRD ministry, it has been found that

nearly 7% of children in the age group of 6-13 are out of school. In real terms, this means that 1.34 crore out of 19.4 crore children in this age category have not been to school.

Though among all social groups the estimated percentage of children out of school is higher in rural areas compared to urban areas, Muslims top the list in both the settings at close to 10%. ‘Other’ category comprising upper castes and the well-heeled has the least number (nearly 4%) of out-of-school children.

The findings on out-of-school children among the disabled reveals children with mental disability are the most out of school (47%) followed by speech disabled (42.5%) and hearing disabled (32%). The worse performing states/UTs are Lakshadweep (100%), Nagaland (87%), Sikkim (79%), Manipur (72%), Pondicherry (nearly 57%), Assam (55%), and MP (51%). http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ articleshow/1388242.cms

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HCL introduces ‘designed in India’ desktop

HCL has introduced a range of ‘Designed in India’ desktop computers designed by the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

The new range of desktops has been designed keeping in view changing lifestyles, future trends and specific customer needs and preferences.

Extensive research work has been undertaken to customise the product to achieve maximum ergonomics, to create a smart and humanised design for effective usage. NID conducted a comprehensive survey with over 200 enterprises across various industry segments to examine some of the major influences driving changes in the PC market. Through this survey NID sought direct feedback from Indian customers on factors such as user environment, buyers psyche, health factors, experience & trends before designing this desktop computer. http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2006/ 106010911.asp

Indian President presents blueprint for virtual university President of India A P J Abdul Kalam has proposed an ambitious blueprint for a tele-education revolution in the country with Rashtrapati Bhavan as the nodal hub of the project to link all major universities across India. http://www.newindpress.com/ NewsItems.asp?ID=IEH20060117123801&Title =Top+Stories&rLink=0

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EDUSAT facilities in all schools in Indian state by July 31

Byrraju Foundation introduces tech-based rural support

The EDUSAT facilities will be set up in all Government schools in the Indian State Kerala by July 31.

Byrraju Foundation, a non-profit organization has launched technology and web-based services to facilitate rural transformation in India in the areas of health, education, agriculture, livelihood and knowledge sharing.

The Government is considering the idea to acquire equipment for EDUSAT facilities from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The Government is also considering providing funds for aided and unaided schools. Interactive terminals as part of EDUSAT programme have been set up at 56 centres. A CD library will have to be set up in all school libraries. Of these, 100 CDs will be on subjects in the SSLC examinations.

These CDs worth Rs.30,000 will be provided for Rs.6,000. http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/16/stories/ 2006011609170300.htm

3000 rural kiosks to come up in Indian state

A group of a IITians working with nLouge Communications Private Limited are setting up kiosks offering crucial information and services in rural areas of Gujarat state in India.

The company will install around three thousand kiosks across the state by next fiscal year. Currently, it has installed 250 kiosks including one in each village of seven towns Palanpur, Patan, Viramgam, Prantij, Mehamdabad, Vyara and Palitana.

And by January end another town Dhoraji will have a kiosk providing various information. These kiosks are known as ‘Mahiti Kendra’ (information centre). http://www.business-standard.com/ bsonline/storypage.php?&autono=211573

To this effect, online Patient information Management System developed by Satyam and supported

by Oracle’s Healthcare Transaction Base platform was launched. The foundation also launched research and training wing and a virtuaLab to support rural students. http://www.ciol.com/content/news/2006/ 106010910.asp

Web education for faculty members soon in India Web based education would be shortly introduced for faculty members of private engineering colleges in India opting for higher studies in computer science and information technology.

Chennai Anna University ViceChancellor D Viswanathan says, the course to be started in this University in the southern Indian state Tamil Nadu would facilitate faculty members to pursue higher education (ME) in the forth coming year. The course duration would be three years. Based on the success of this course more courses would be introduced. http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems. asp?ID=IET20060105011719&Title= Southern+News+%2D+Tamil+Nadu&rLink=0

Educational institutes in India need to help in rural devt.

President of India A P J Abdul Kalam has called upon educational institutions in the country, especially those in rural areas, to participate in rural development by replicating the Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) model. http://www.business-standard.com/ bsonline/storypage.php?&autono=210781 Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

ASIA IDRC announces Open Archive

computer-based learning among the schools identified. The activity also evaluates the capability of the teacher to use technology for teaching class. http://news.inq7.net/infotech/ index.php?index=1&story_id=62379

Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has announced plans to create an Open Archive, the first among Canadian research funding organizations. The Open Archive will provide full access over the Internet to IDRC’s rich research archive.

In addition to making information more freely available, this initiative will provide IDRC-funded researchers with a much-needed outlet to publish and showcase their work. It will raise the visibility and facilitate the retrieval of the vast array of IDRC materials by consolidating them in a well-managed, indexed, secure, and permanent location. By creating an Open Archive, IDRC promotes transparency of its results-based research and participates in the global movement to remove economic, social, and geographic barriers to the sharing of knowledge. http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-92447-201-1DO_TOPIC.html

Philippines education department to conduct online survey on ICT utilisation The Department of Education (DepEd) in Philippines is set to conduct an online survey on the use of computerbased teaching and learning among primary and secondary schools nationwide.

The survey’s aim is to track the development and status of computers and Internet connection among schools that already have such equipment, as well as identify issues or concerns in the usage. The survey hopes to find creative solutions to such issues and also to come up with plans for further development of Digital Learning February 2006

Ireland PM launches GeSCI’s operations in India Prime Minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern has launched the operations in India of the Global e-School and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), a

founded by the UN ICT Task Force, aims at facilitating attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, and would work in India at the national and state levels, assisting the government and other partners for implementing ICT in education strategies and programmes. It was an important UN initiative, of which Ireland was a founding member along with Sweden, Switzerland and Canada, and would add value to the initiatives in India. GeSCI will partner with Rajasthan government for implementing Rajasthan Education Initiative and was also in talks with other states, including Karnataka, for assisting in e-Schools programmes. Its plans include setting up of a Global Innovation Centre in India. http://news.indiainfo.com/2006/01/17/ 1701ireland-pm-launches-operations.html

Now cheaper MS software for students multilaterally funded organisation that supports enhancing the reach and quality of education through deployment of ICTs. The Dublin-headquartered GeSCI,

Microsoft is now eyeing the Indian student community by making its software more accessible through its initiative called MS Student Select. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ articleshow/1359094.cms

Kiwi students rank high on access to ICT Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report says, New Zealand secondary school students stand fifth out of 41 countries for access to Information Communications Technology. This study shows that the government’s strategy to equip all young New Zealanders with skills in, and access to, ICT is achieving good results.

Every school in the country now has access to broadband and ICT equipment and more than 600 schools are involved in ICT clusters. New Zealand 15 year olds’ access to ICT in home and school was the fifth highest of participating countries at nearly 100 percent. Most 15 year olds (approximately 80 percent) had home Internet access in 2003, a figure that is likely to have risen since 2003. Approximately 56 percent of New Zealand 15 year olds had been using computers for more than five years. New Zealand students ranked very highly for their confidence with Internet tasks (8th) and higher-level ICT tasks such as managing databases and building web pages (6th). The government has invested $300 million in ICT in schools since 2000. This year schools will receive $50 million specifically for ICT over and above the $22 million provided as part of their operational grants. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0601/S00112.htm

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OTHERS Tri-lingual Windows system on the cards Microsoft Corporation India has announced plans to launch a range of products that cover different segments of users. After its decision to bring in a starter edition of Windows that can be bundled with entry-segment users, the company is set to launch a multi-lingual Windows operating system in March.

To be offered in a three-language interface, the Starter edition will later be available in nine languages. This means that a user has to boot the system and opt for a language. The edition is targeted at low-cost PC users and is meant to tackle piracy. In June, Microsoft expects to launch its new Windows version Vista, which is considered its biggest offering in 10 years and Office 12 (yet to be named).

Office 12 will serve as a platform for integrating with other services. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/ 01/24/stories/2006012402300400.htm

Computer keyboard with Nigerian languages Nigeria has recorded a major achievement in Information Technology (IT), with the invention of a customised keyboard that provides the option of writing in Nigerian languages.

The equipment, which is known as Konyin keyboard, was developed in Nigeria by Lancor Technologies, with the sole aim of promoting Nigerian languages through integration into the global information super-highway.

The new technology has the ability to create words in three major Nigerian languages, namely Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. It is a facility with hardware and software that uses 63 alphanumeric keys with four shift Keys. The new technology represents a significant step in allowing languages with more than 26 30

alphabets to use a single keyboard layout for easy and direct access typing. Nigeria as a country is made up of between 250-400 native languages. http://allafrica.com/stories/ 200601230731.html

Australians deserting IT education Even though a large number of overseas IT students are getting permanent residence in Australia, fewer local students are choosing to enroll for computer courses.

The number of Australian students enrolling for IT courses has hit a 15year low, according to a study published in the Monash University Centre for Population and Urban Research’s People and Places Magazine. The general skilled migration (GSM) was effectively increasing the IT graduate labour supply by nearly 80 per cent at a time when 30 per cent of Australian ICT graduates could not find full-time job.

An increasingly large number of Indian students enroll for Australian IT and computer courses and apply for permanent residence after the completion of the mandatory two-year period. http://www.newkerala.com/ news.php?action=fullnews&id=82782

Microsoft launches technology programme in Kenya Microsoft Corporation has launched the Unlimited Potential programme in Kenya.

The programme is a global initiative, which focuses on providing technology skills through communitybased technology and learning centres. The corporation will use the programme to empower at least 120,000 youths and adults in Kenya in software entrepreneurship and ICT skills over the next three years. Since Microsoft started the programme three years ago, it has distributed nearly US$50 million in cash and

software to 45 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North America. The first beneficiaries of the programme in Kenya are Strathmore Educational Trust, Kianda Foundation and Ugunja Foundation. http://allafrica.com/stories/ 200601180764.html

Sony Reader for e-Book lovers Sony has launched a handheld device designed for electronic books, named the Sony Reader, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It has a screen made from electronic paper that makes text look almost as sharp as it is on a printed page. Sony hopes the gadget will tempt more people to download and read books in digital, rather than paper, format. eBooks have not made much of an impact as the experience of reading on-screen has failed to live up to expectations. As a result although sales of e-Books are growing they still account for only a tiny fraction of the overall book market. Sony aims to address this with the electronic paper used for the display in the Sony Reader. It says the six-inch black and white screen will be as easy to read as the printed page. The technology used means the screen is not backlit, avoiding screen flicker, which can put a strain on the eyes. The Reader is about the size of a paperback, is 14mm thick at its widest and weighs little more than 250g. The slim device is the size of a paperback book. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/ 4586800.stm Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

Indian wins US$50,000 in PC design contest in Las Vegas The design, “sChool Pak”, a personal computer for school kids prepared by one Indian Prashan Chandra, lead industrial designer with the Gurgaonbased Telserra India Pvt Ltd, a technology services provider headquartered in the U.S, won the US$50,000 worth Chairman’s Award at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.

The Chairman, (is Microsoft’s Bill Gates) in whose name the company has instituted jointly with the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), a PC-design contest with four awards for innovative design tailored for the Next Generation Windows operating system-based PC. Chandra’s design, the smart PC aimed at appealing to the young, includes two screens, one a Tablet-PC like writeable surface and another, a traditional screen for reading text.

Equipped with straps for use as a backpack, the sChOOL Pak has slots where lightweight digital cards containing textbook material can be slotted in. http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/06/stories/ 2006010618670400.htm

New review homes in on ICT access A new review of software licensing and document interoperability issues will tackle home and school computer use in UK and will analyse how pupils and parents can cost effectively acquire the applications and licences necessary when working on the same document on a home or school computer.

Government agency, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), will also address compatibility issues when a home computer runs different office productivity products to those at school. It will also explore the licensing implications when a pupil or a parent logs on to a school system, Digital Learning February 2006

PC use gives students an advantage in school Students who use computers regularly are getting a headstart on their peers when it comes to school subjects, according to a new OECD study.

The report, “Are students ready for a technology-rich world?”, claims that school students who use computers regularly perform better in key school subjects than those with limited computer experience or a lack of confidence when it comes to performing basic computer tasks. This advantage can be seen clearly in mathematics performance.

Irish students are lagging behind in their attitude towards computers, with the country rated as having one of the least positive attitudes towards computers, along with Japan, Denmark, Finland and Hungary. In contrast, students in countries such as Austria, Canada and Germany displayed a positive attitude.

Almost three quarters of students in OECD countries use computers at home each week. This figure jumps to nine out of 10 for Canada, Iceland and Sweden.

This compares with only 44 percent using computers frequently in school. The report also found that access to computers is evenly spread across both genders in most OECD countries. However, in Ireland, Belgium and Korea, a larger number of girls than boys say they have access to computers at school. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/24/pcuse_students_advantage/

and uses resources and applications on those systems. http://www.ngfl.gov.uk/ news.jsp?sec=5&cat=99&res=91494

Children to study computer in Ugandan school

Microsoft has launched its blueprint for implementing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in African Schools.

In order to fit in this changing world of information communication technology (ICT), Pembroke in Uganda has embarked on equipping and educating its students with a wide range of ICT tools and information sources such as computer software and the Internet to help them in their studies.

The ICT blueprint for Schools is expected to address issues critical to developing countries including the application of ICT to accelerate the fight against poverty and improve the delivery of education. The blueprint will focus on the nine essential components like Policy, Research, Access, Innovative Solutions, Curriculum, Teacher Training, Communities and Partners and Support, which the company believes any serious government must address in order to successfully integrate ICT into education.

Students will be taught how to use the Internet and email, digital cameras, scanners, recording equipment and computer software. Children will be taught how to check the quality of information, learn to filter good from bad and how to present information in a way that suits the need of their audience. It helps them explore and compare the different ways ICT is used in and out of school. Children between the ages of 7 -14 will benefit from the training.

Microsoft to integrate ICT into African schools

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/ features/technology/tec518012006.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/ 200601231375.html

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Municipality to introduce eEducation

Google’s online bookstore waits for copyright permissions

The Ukhahlamba District Municipality in the Eastern Cape in South Africa is to introduce electronic education (eEducation) for teachers and pupils in the municipality.

A centre has been established at Idyoki Public School in Ugie. This is in line with the e-Education White Paper that sets out government’s response to a new ICT environment in education. The municipality in partnership with Asante Management and Development Services as well as Kit Plant Hire have donated 16 computers, a printer, a scanner, a copier, a satellite dish, a DVD player and a data projector to the learning communities. Forty-eight educators from Idyoki School, including ABET educators as well as a representative from the community will obtain ICT training from the resource centre. http://allafrica.com/stories/ 200601240262.html

German court orders shutdown of Wikipedia A Berlin court ordered the closure of the site after it sided with the parents of the German hacker, who wanted to prevent the online encyclopedia from publishing the real name of their son.

The Wikipedia Foundation, however, settled with the court so that users can still access the site temporarily on a different URL. There, oddly enough, the full name of the German hacker still appears. The English version of Wikipedia also has an entry on Tron.

In 1998, Tron, who took his name from a Disney movie, mysteriously disappeared, apparently because he was under suspicion of committing computer fraud. The hacker was later found hanged in a Berlin park. His 32

Google has suggested it may consider setting up an online bookstore. At the floor of Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas it said that this would depend on permission from copyright holders.

The web giant has been electronically scanning thousands parents originally objected against publishing his full name last year, but the court order was mistakenly addressed to Saint Petersburg, Russia, rather than Saint Petersburg, Florida, where the Wikipedia Foundation resides. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/20/ wikipedia_shutdown/

IT coaching in London aims to bridge the gap between classroom and business IT training firm Learning Tree International in London is offering IT staff a combined package of classroom training and technical coaching that aims to help IT professionals translate their classroom training into practical action.

Although a skills and knowledge transfer takes place in a classroom, a gap still remains. That gap is in the technical proficiency and selfassurance which comes as a result of practice and exposure. IT staff on the Learning Tree programme work with experienced coaches to transfer their knowledge and skills into practical applications. The firm said that by combining skills learned in the classroom with the experience and knowledge of an expert practitioner, inexperienced IT professionals can tackle projects that would normally

of volumes and has put some online.

But its plans to create an index to all the world’s books have run into opposition from publishers and authors. Google is working with Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the New York Public Library and Oxford University on the digitisation project. But the plan has run into legal challenges that temporarily halted the systematic scanning operation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/ 4598478.stm

require more experienced personnel. http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/ 2006/01/10/213607/ITcoaching aimstobridge thegapbetweenclassroom andbusiness.htm

Libraries fear digital lockdown Libraries have warned that the rise of digital publishing may make it harder to access items in their collections in the future. Many publishers put restrictions on how digital books and journals can be used.

According to the British Library, such digital rights management (DRM) controls may block some legitimate uses and restricted works unsafe for future generations if people can no longer unlock them when technology evolves. The British Library spends £2m of its £16m annual acquisitions budget on digital material, mainly reference books and journals. But by 2020, 90% of newly published work will be available digitally - twice the amount that is printed - according to British Library predictions published last year. Libraries are allowed to give access to, copy and distribute items through “fair dealing” and “library privilege” clauses in copyright law.

But as publishers attempt to stop the public illegally sharing books and articles, the DRM they employ may not cater for libraries’ legal uses. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/ 4675280.stm Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

Building an e-Learning City Hong Kong Education City

D

uring the SAR outbreak in Hong Kong, when all the schools and classes were suspended, the Hong Kong Education City portal page view rate escalated from 2 million to 4.6 million a day. 42 online courses were made available for free to all 1,300 schools, with the support its partners.

More than 70 multimedialearning games were re-packaged, together with other online resources, encouraging asynchronous learning.

The number of messages posted also hit a record high; senders ranged from group messages from university staff to short messages from primary school pupils.

education and IT education in Hong Kong. The HkedCity is funded by the Quality Education Fund. Other major partners in this initiative include TechCreations Company Limited Hong Kong Education City is a one(TechCreation) and First Virtual stop e-learning portal that provides Communications.

TechCreations (http:// technology enhanced and technologywww.tech-creations.com/.) is delivered learning to the Hong Kong an IT solution provider specialized in IT in education, education community. Hong Kong infrastructure and security.

Education City is the largest education Headquartered in Santa Clara, California, First Virtual portal in Hong Kong, servicing 1,300 Communications (http:// schools with around three million www.fvc.com) is a premier provider of next generation visitors per day web conferencing and collaboration solutions.

Hong Kong Education City is the largest education portal in Hong Kong, servicing 1,300 schools. Self learning takes place at the website for students and parents alike, while virtual classrooms have been set up for teachers to continue with current curriculum, training both parents and students during this time of national crisis.

HKedCity is designed to promote IT in education and to build a one-stop education portal for teachers, students and parents. Through this network, the general public can share information, collaborate online and enjoy access to e-learning facilities.

Digital Learning February 2006

Market Place

Why Hong Kong Education City?

The HKedCity web site is now recognized as the largest and most popular educational web site in Hong Kong, with around three million visitors per day.

Who manages HK education City?

Founded in May 2002, Hong Kong Education City Limited (HKECL), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Education and Manpower Bureau is responsible for managing the Hong Kong Education City (HKedCity) website and to uphold the mission of promoting quality

The first wave of IT education in Hong Kong came in with the strategy ‘Information Technology for Learning in a New Era’-1998-2003. The strategies emphasized on linking students to the ‘vast network world of knowledge and information to enable them to acquire a broad knowledge base and a global outlook’ along with developing in students ‘the attitude and capability for independent life-long learning’. The Hong Kong Education City portal developed as a response to the government strategy. The HkedCity was build as an education portal based on IRIS model (Information-ResourcesInteraction-Services).

The target audiences are the students for ‘Self-Paced Learning’, teachers for ‘Classroom Teaching & Professional Development’ and parents for ‘parenthood and life-long learning’.

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1

The primary objective behind the initiative was• To build “Broadband Education Network” and providing schools with quality Internet and Intranet service;

2

3

4

1. HKedCity learning city - The student corner 2. HKedCity parents learning corner and forum 3. Teachers corner in the English campus 4. Varied services that HKedCity portal provides

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• To build a “Large-scale Education Website” collaboratively with the government, education, social service, and business sectors to provide healthy and quality education information; • To collate “Resources Repository” of rich education resources and provide them online for use by schools, teachers, students, parents, and the public; • To organize Quality Culture” activities to promote the culture of using Information Technology in learning, sharing, and collaboration The HKedCity website is constructed such that each channel strives to integrate elements of “Information”, “Resources”, “Interaction” and “Services” to converge into a comprehensive onestop education portal.

The portal contains: • Information - education updates, topical features on education, leisure and articles on arts and culture • Resources - over 13,000 teaching resources, reading resources, self-learning courses and education and career resources • Interaction - over 80 forums on various topics, creative corners for publishing literary and art works on-line, professional counseling on-line and “iWorlds” (on-line

communities initiated by teachers for experience and resources sharing) • Services - school and individual email accounts, web page hosting and powerful, easy-to-use on-line publishing tools When H.K. was attacked by SARS, the subsequent suspension of classes created a crisis. The education sector was concerned about a possible e-Learning platform to empower the learner in every situation. HKedCity quickly enhanced its web-based learning programme to meet the urgent needs of the community by making available virtual classrooms with many-tomany video conferencing facilities. HkedCity’s customized Learning Management Systems and online education resources allowed learning to continue.

Thus classes continued beyond the classroom.

HKedCity created the first real-time virtual classroom for local schools. This project, enabling learning amid crisis and beyond walls, won the Global Junior Challenge Award 2004 in Rome and the Computer world Honours 2004 in the U.S. It also entered the Stockholm Challenge Award as the Finalist in 2003/04.

The portal is primarily in Chinese. The English pages are grouped separately as ‘English Campus’.

Visit. www. hkedcity.net to view all the resources in Hong Kong Education City.

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Source: http://www.info.gov.hk/digital21/eng/ education/hkedcity.html http://www.hko.gov.hk/education/ edu04other/pre0406e.htm http://www.clicktomeet.com/eng/dl/ news/release_041503.pdf Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

U pfront Microsoft’s overriding objective is to take IT education to the grassroot to empower students, educators and life long learners, to achieve their fullest potential through access to the latest computer technologies, localized content and skills training. Rohit Kumar, Country Manager-Public Sector, Microsoft India, shares his views and Microsoft’s vision in partnering with the government and civil society to redefine the overall learning process and lead the IT education in India.

What is the most pressing challenge for education in the country? Why? As India moves towards being a knowledge economy, the creation of an IT proficient talent pool will play a critical role in determining success.

This will be largely determined by the rate at which IT is integrated in the overall education process.

If we look at IT adoption in education today we realise that access to technology is unevenly distributed with a dismal ratio of 1 PC per 400 children in government schools at present. Surprisingly however it’s not just access to technology that is a challenge but the technology skills gap that exists today. Out of the 5 million teachers in government schools less than 2,50,000 are trained in the usage of IT. In this context, it becomes increasingly relevant that educators, government and the IT industry work together to help reform the current education process, and ensure that a basic level of digital literacy is acquired by today’s students and teachers.

How do you see public-private partnership as a framework to address the challenges to education?

Partnership of IT companies like ours with the government and the state education departments is a very Digital Learning February 2006

pertinent way to ensure that the latest advancements in information technology reach the schools in remotest areas.

What is Microsoft’s vision to address the challenges of education and why?

Empowering students and teachers around the world to reach their full potential with technology is a top priority for Microsoft. We have always believed that one of the most important uses for technology is to create an educational experience that connects, removes limitations and creates opportunities today and for the future. We remain committed at all times to work hard every day to deliver the power of technology in ways that are affordable, relevant and accessible for the education community. This becomes very significant from India perspective because unless technology reaches the masses the foundation of the emerging knowledge economy would not be strong.

How does your education programme fit into the national education goals?

In sync with the government’s priorities we are synergizing our efforts with the education departments of the central and state governments for accelerating IT literacy at a national level. Our India education program, Partners in Learning has been designed to deliver

on this front by providing innovative IT solutions for the education space which are affordable, relevant and available in the local language. Apart from this we are also working from other perspectives like engineering education where we engage with top engineering institutions at faculty, institute and students through various initiatives; home segment through initiatives like Student Select; continued education through our certification programs; research programs etc.

What is the thrust of Microsoft’s ‘Partners in Learning’ programme?

Our overriding objective remains to take IT education to the grassroot to empower students, educators and life long learners to achieve their fullest potential by getting access to the latest computer technologies, localised content and skills training.

Towards delivering on this objective our Partners-in-Learning program is designed to address the critical challenges associated with improving information and communication technology (ICT) access at the school level while improving the quality of education, giving teachers and students the technology and training tools to achieve their fullest potential.

The Partners-in-Learning initiative offers three integrated programs designed to deliver teacher and student skills development, tailored 35

curriculum development, technical support and research and enabling access through affordable desktop tools.

Why have you focused on teachers in most of your programmes when the present/emerging education paradigms put the learners/child in the centre of learning?

Student ultimately is the core of all our efforts in education. But for the start we believe we have to get the teachers skilled to enable them to empower the students. So as we see it, training the trainer on IT skills is critical for percolating the benefits of IT to the students. This becomes even more important in a typical instructor-led classroom environment, which is prevalent across most of our schools today.

What innovative approaches have you taken to achieve your objective?

We started with setting up IT Academy centres and an objective to train 80,000 teachers over a period of 5 years. We got feedback on the number and reach hence we decided to work with the respective Governments to reach all the districts in the country. Apart from this scale out, we plan to scale up by launching innovative programs like Leading Change, 21st Century School Leadership, pilot intervention of ICT in 100 schools along with MCIT amongst other things.

We also devised special pricing for the education segment to address the affordability challenge in this space.

This is reflected in our School Agreement program under our Partners-in-Learning initiative, which has been specifically created to address the unique needs of primary and secondary schools with limited budgets for technology acquisition.

Under the program we are offering a special priced package to enable access to Microsoft’s popular learning tools for schools with special economic needs. Through this 36

program, participating schools can receive free upgrades to Windows XP Professional for both new computers and computers already deployed in the classroom, and can acquire the professional version of the Office productivity software suite at a rate significantly below Microsoft’s already-reduced education pricing.

What has been the extent of Microsoft’s outreach to the education community in India?

Under Project Shiksha initiative, which is a key program under our Partners-in-Learning initiative, we aim to accelerate IT literacy for over 200,000 school teachers and 10 million students across schools in the next 5 years. For roll-out of the Project Shiksha program at the school level we are working with 9 state governments today including Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. We have 6 Microsoft IT Academy Centres up and running in Uttaranchal (1), Andhra Pradesh (1), Karnataka (3) and Maharashtra (1).

In addition, we have a MoU with the Municipal Corporation of New Delhi. The agreement underlines our joint commitment with MCD for extending reach of IT to students and teachers in MCD schools. We also have a tie up with the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) schools (which comes under the Ministry of HRD) and have conducted training at nine training centers - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Goa, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Besides this, teacher training has also commenced at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (JNV) Panchawati, Andaman and Minicoy Islands and Lakshwadeep.

So far we have trained 42,000 plus teachers and reached out to over 2.1 million students under Project Shiksha.

What has been Microsoft’s most phenomenal achievement in education in India?

We are the only IT company in India today that seeks to address the needs of the education segment in entirety.

Unlike any other player, we have specific programs for schools, colleges, higher education and for the lifelong learners.

Do you see ICT in education as an industry?

If India has to maintain the lead in Knowledge economy, education and most importantly ICT in education is very important. As with countries like the US, UK, Australia, education institutions can become technology innovation centres. There is tremendous scope and future is there for all of us to see.

Are you determining the agenda of education in India?

No, certainly not. We are partnering with state government and the MHRD and MCIT to find ways to use IT as an enabler and accelerate the benefits of an interactive classroom environment to communities, which so far have been underserved.

Sustainable development is beyond the capabilities of any one government, business, organisation, or entity. How do you think Microsoft can facilitate the delivery of a complete and sustainable solution to ICT in education in India?

Yes, I agree. Achieving sustainable development is about continuous collaboration and bringing together of strengths across various entities. As a long-term partner for India, we are committed to collaborate with the government and state education departments in devising new and innovative ways for taking the benefits of the latest technologies to teachers and students in government schools and establishing new benchmarks in learning. ❏ Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

Forty Y ears of Collective Design-Making Years

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO)

Cover Story

In recognition of the importance of regional co-operation in facilitating development in general and Education, Science and Culture in particular, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) was established to promote regional cooperation for human resource development in Asia. Since 1965, SEAMEO, through its various regional centers, spread across 10 member countries, has successfully explored the fullest potentials of people in the region through quality and equity in education, preventive health, culture and tradition, training, research, information and communications technology, languages, poverty alleviation, and agricultural natural resources. Today, SEAMEO is not only the oldest chartered intergovernmental organization serving the Southeast Asian region but also the Southeast Asia’s largest, longest existing, and most dependable provider in human resource development. This issue of Digital Learning profiles SEAMEO and its outstanding presence in Southeast Asia.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) is an international and intergovernmental organization established in 1965 to promote regional cooperation in education, science, and culture. Its 10 Member Countries include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. It embodies 7 Associate Member Countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Norway; and one Affiliate Member, the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE).

Organizational structure The SEAMEO Council, the Organization’s governing body, is composed of the 10 ministers of education of the SEAMEO Member Countries. The Council determines the general policies and strategic directions of the organization. The SEAMEO Secretariat, based in Bangkok, Thailand, is the Digital Learning February 2006

headquarters and executive arm of the Council.

SEAMEO Secretariat

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The SEAMEO Secretariat is the executive arm of the SEAMEO Council and the Headquarters of the Organization. Based in Bangkok, Thailand, the Secretariat is headed by a Director who is the legal and administrative representative of the Organization. The Director is supported by a team of professional staff recruited from member countries and a group of general staff from the host country.

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The primary functions of the SEAMEO Secretariat are to: • execute the instructions and decisions of the SEAMEO Council • convene the key meetings of the Organization: the Centre Directors Meeting (CDM), the High Officials Meeting (HOM) and the SEAMEO Council Conference (SEAMEC) • present the recommendations of

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the SEAMEO Centres from the CDM to the HOM for endorsement of the Council liaise between the Council and the SEAMEO Centres coordinate activities and facilitate cooperation among SEAMEO Member Countries, SEAMEO Centres, partners and institutions develop membership, raise and manage funds, execute public relations, disseminate information, organise special project and develop project proposals on behalf of the Organization.

SEAMEO regional centers Over the past three decades, SEAMEO has developed 15 specialist institutions in 8 of its 10 Member Countries that provide regional leadership in human resource development and the diverse expertise that they offer in learning, health and environment, and agriculture and natural resources. These centres are closely linked with the educational environment of the country hosting 37

them. Each Centre has its own governing board with a representative from each Member Country.

The Regional Centres maintain SEAMEO’s work and aspirations to nurture human capacities and explore the fullest potentials of people in the region through quality and equity in education, preventive health, culture and tradition, training, research, information and communications technology, languages, poverty alleviation, and agricultural natural resources.

Since its inception, the SEAMEO has not only become the oldest chartered intergovernmental organization serving the Southeast Asian region but also the Southeast Asia’s largest, longest existing, and most dependable provider in human resource development.

SEAMEO regional centres The SEAMEO has 15 specialist institutions that undertake training and research programs in various fields of education, science and culture. Each Regional Centre has a Governing Board composed of senior education officials from each Member Country. The Governing Board reviews the Centres’ operations and budget and sets their policies and programmes.

Area of specialization Distance and Open Learning Education in Science and Mathematics Educational Innovation and Technology Educational Management Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture Higher Education Vocational and Technical Education and Training interests in education, science and culture.

Information Dissemination – The Secretariat compiles and updates information about the Organization and coordinates with the entire SEAMEO network and beyond Southeast Asia in information exchange.

Internship - Coordinates with organisations and governments from around the world in developing the skills of young people in professional work, especially attaining international work experience.

Partnerships - Establishes relations with local, national and international organizations, institutions and

Archaeology and Fine Arts Community Nutrition History and Tradition Language Microbiology, Parasitology and Entomology Public Health Tropical Biology Tropical Medicine

individuals with interest in education in Southeast Asia to provide venue for foreign cooperation and educational innovation and excellence.

Press Awards – The SEAMEOAustralia Press Award is given annually to print journalists in the region to recognize excellence in the coverage of education; cooperation between the SEAMEO and the Government of Australia and in coordination with the University of Melbourne and its Asia Link Centre.

Research Fellowships – The SEAMEO-Jasper Research Award is an annual grant bestowed by the Government of Canada and the SEAMEO for outstanding research conducted by SEAMEO Member

Programmes of the SEAMEO Secretariat Community Involvement Project – The Secretariat coordinates with the SEAMEO Centres in sharing expertise in education, science and culture with selected schools in SEAMEO Member Countries to improve school systems and to help schools achieve sustainability, focusing on students, teachers, learning facilities, school management and parents’ involvement.

Conferences – The Secretariat organises joint seminars and workshops integrating various 38

Photograph by Rachan Woramunee, Publications Officer, SEAMEO secretariat Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

SEAMEO Regional Centre for Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH)

A SEAMEO meeting in progress

Country nationals; provides endowments to support research fellows in their specialisation choice.

Study Visits – The secretariat plans and organises with the full cooperation of SEAMEO Member and Associate Member Countries to acquaint and widen the educational and cultural perspectives of people in the region and citizens around the world about Southeast Asia.

SEAMEO events The SEAMEO Secretariat convenes three major annual events: The Centre Directors Meeting (CDM) is attended by Directors and Network Coordinators of the SEAMEO Regional Centres. It makes assessments of the activities of the Centres and the Network, plans future SEAMEO activities for further submission to HOM and Council decisions, and discusses with the Secretariat various internal problems and their solutions. CDM is usually held in July. Last year’s CDM was held in July 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The High Officials Meeting (HOM) is held towards the end of the year, usually in November. The Meeting provides for a cooperative study by the high officials of the Ministries of Education of the SEAMEO Member Digital Learning February 2006

Countries, representatives of the Associate Members, the Centre Directors, Network Coordinators and the Secretariat of the items to be taken up in the Council Conference. It recommends actions to be taken up by the SEAMEO Council Conference on the items of the agenda. The main purpose of the HOM is to assist the Council in expediting its actions on the agenda items. Last year’s 28th HOM was held on 21-24 November 2005 in Phetchaburi, Thailand.

The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Council Conference (SEAMEC) is convened in the first quarter of each year. It may meet in an Extraordinary Session. It is attended by Ministers of Education of Member Countries who make up the SEAMEO Council, which is the governing board of the Organization; representatives of Associate Member Countries, Centre and Network Directors and Coordinators, SEAMEO Secretariat officers, and observers from donor governments, foundations, international organizations and agencies. The 40th SEAMEO Council Conference was held 15-17 March 2005 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Singapore will host the 41st SEAMEC on 21-24 March 2006. ❏ This article has been provided by the SEAMEO Secretariat, Bangkok, with inputs from the Digital Learning team.

The SEAMEO Regional Centre for Innovation and Technology (INNOTECH), based in the Philippines is principally dedicated to identifying common and unique education problems and needs of Southeast Asian countries and developing innovative and technology-based solutions to address these problems.

With a vision to be the preferred education solution provider in Southeast Asia, the Center aids in educational development within and outside the region through training and human resource development, research and evaluation, information and communications technology and other special programs addressing specific areas of concern in the Southeast Asian educational scenario.

SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre’s (SEAMOLEC) The SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre’s mission is to assist SEAMEO Member Countries in identifying educational problems and finding alternative solutions for sustainable human resource development through dissemination and effective use of open learning and distance education.

SEAMOLEC was established with the conviction that conventional schools alone will not be able to meet the “education for all” goals, and distance learning programmes would be required to meet the gap.Thus open and distance learning was to complement, supplement, or substitute conventional classroom instruction. Following this, several SEAMEO member countries had implemented open and distance learning programs as alternative ways for increasing the opportunities and access for learners to participate in educational/training programs.

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SEAMEO Regional Centres SEAMEO Regional Centre for History and Tradition Based in Myanmar, the SEAMEO CHAT was inaugurated December 2000, making it SEAMEO’s newest Centre of Excellence. It promotes cooperation in the study of history and tradition among member Countries through research, human resource development, education and networking.

SEAMEO Regional Centre for Innovation and Technology Based in the Philippines, the SEAMEO INNOTECH initiates and disseminates innovative and technology-oriented educational programmes that help SEAMEO Member Countries identify and solve common or unique educational problems and address anticipated needs.

SEAMEO Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network SEAMEO TROPMED Regional Centre for Public Health

SEAMEO Regional Training Centre Located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the SEAMEO RETRAC assists SEAMEO Member Countries especially the three Indochina countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam) to identify and solve common problems in human resource development. Its area of specialization is educational management.

SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development SEAMEO Regional Centre for Vocational and Technical Education and Training

Brunei Darussalam

SEAMEO Regional Centre for Science and Mathematics

SEAMEO Regional Open Learning Centre

Established on the island state of Penang, Malaysia, the SEAMEO RECSAM is designed to meet the needs of the SEAMEO Member Countries in developing science, mathematics and technology education programmes.

Located in Indonesia, the SEAMEO SEAMOLEC assists SEAMEO Member Countries in identifying educational problems and finding alternative solutions for sustainable human resource development through the dissemination and effective use of open learning and distance education.

SEAMEO TROPMED Regional Centre for Microbiology, Parasitology and Entomology

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SEAMEO Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network SEAMEO TROPMED Regional Centre for Community Nutrition

Hosted by the Government of Thailand, the SEAMEO RIHED plays a crucial role in the capability building of Member Countries in the field of higher education. It responds to needs on policy and planning, administration and management of higher education.

SEAMEO Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network SEAMEO Regional Language Centre SEAMEO Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture SEAMEO Regional Centre for • Archaeology and Fine Arts SEAMEO Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network SEAMEO TROPMED Regional Centre for Tropical Medicine Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

U pfront Dr. Edilberto C. de Jesus, Director of the SEAMEO Secretariat, assumed office at the start of 2005. Previously, he was the SEAMEO Council President from 2003 to 2004, while he was also the Secretary of the Department of Education in Philippines. The Director is committed to promoting the role in SEAMEO in strengthening education in Asia.

What is SEAMEO’s mission and priority area of work?

The Charter states that SEAMEO’s mandate is “to promote cooperation among the Southeast Asian nations through education, science and culture in order to further respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are the birthrights of the peoples of the world.” In terms of priorities, many member countries are still focused on attaining the EFA and MDG targets within the 2015 deadline, if not sooner.

What are the most pressing educational challenges facing Thailand at the present time?

In terms of access to elementary education, Thailand is focused on reaching the last 5% to 10% of the school-age population not yet covered by the formal education system. At the same time, like many middle-income countries, it has to cope with the growing demand for post-secondary education, even as it addresses the concern of raising the quality of the educational services it delivers.

Do you believe new technologies have transformative power for education in developing countries?

Governments in the region are hoping that the progress in ICT will Digital Learning February 2006

enable their countries improve both access to, as well as quality of, educational services. It certainly makes sense to explore the potential of open and distance learning systems for bringing education to communities in far-flung areas or those rendered less accessible by peace and order problems. ICT can provide powerful learning tools, but governments must invest the resources, not only to purchase the tools, but also to provide the training for their effective use.

What is SEAMEO’s vision for education in Thailand?

The same as its vision for the other countries of the region: that the educational system provides the human resources it needs for the development of a prosperous, democratic and caring society.

How has SEAMEO aimed to fulfill the UN Millennium Development Goals particularly in providing ‘Education for All’?

Through its network of 12 Regional Centres, hosted by eight of the Member Countries, SEAMEO can deploy resources at ground level to help ministries of education in the implementation of their EFA/MDG programs. The annual ministerial council meeting provides a forum for policy discussion and and a platform

for regional collaboration. A regional perspective helps in uncovering policy inconsistencies, identifying dead-ends and best practices, and disseminating innovative projects.

What role has SEAMEO played in introducing learning technologies for expanding the quality and reach of education in Thailand?

An example is the SEAMEO Regional Centre Tropical Medicine (TROPMED)’s use of ICT in HIV/ AIDS preventive education. This project has two development goals (i) reduce incidence of HIV/AIDS infection among vulnerable age groups, poor and marginalized population groups; and (ii) expand the use of ICT and other multimedia technologies in HIV/AIDS preventive education by building the capacity of teachers, health workers, and other stakeholders in using the technology.

The project develops ICT HIV/AIDS learning materials in local languages and delivers ICT-based interventions to isolated, marginalized, and vulnerable populations.

What have been the goals and achievements of the SEAMEO IT Development Taskforce with respect to education?

The Regional Centres all aspire to expand the use of IT as a tool to achieve learning objectives. The SEAMEO Regional Language Centre 41

in Singapore, for instance, runs the SEAMEO Regional Schools Internet Project. The Project allows students to interact electronically through the web pages they create. Through its web-based learning and interaction programmes, the SEAMEO RELC reinforces the use of English among the participants. RLC also manages a virtual forum for English language teachers and linguists in the region for the exchange of ideas in their field.

How do you see Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as delivery mechanisms for nonformal education?

The potential is there, but organizing the target participants and developing the delivery system will require a lot of work.

What is the penetration of e-learning in Thailand?

E-learning has been introduced and implemented at all levels of education in Thailand during this decade to support the formal education system.

The Thai government promotes elearning by making available to the schools ICT equipment and facilities.

It offers soft loans for staff and students to acquire personal computers and provides tertiary education with the infrastructure for internet networking.

Globalization is presenting new challenges and opportunities for students and educators. What role is SEAMEO playing in harnessing the opportunities of globalization for education?

The globalization of education, understood as the delivery of learning programs across national boundaries, can help countries meet the rising demand for post-secondary education among their population. To benefit from the availability of cross-border educational programs, governments must establish the quality assurance systems to protect consumers from diploma mill operations.

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What is your view of the growing liberalization of higher education?

What is its impact on Thailand?

The Government has established two Open Universities to give both high school and vocational school graduates and working adults a chance to pursue tertiary education.

In recent years also, enrollment in private colleges and universities has surged in Thailand and now accounts for about half of the tertiary education sector population. Thailand has also taken major steps towards providing greater autonomy to public institutions of higher learning. These trends will reinforce the need for strong quality assurance systems.

Last year SEAMEO signed an MOU with Microsoft in 2005. How does SEAMEO see public-private partnership as a means for achieving the National Education goals? Could you elaborate the framework of partnership between SEAMEO and Microsoft?

Governments in the region have come to recognize that their resources are inadequate to meet the growing demand for education at both basic and tertiary levels. The private sector, which needs a steady flow of human talent to staff its operations, has also accepted this reality. It is to the private sector’s interest to help government develop the country’s human resources. A public-private partnership to achieve national education goals works to the benefit of both parties.

Through the web-based Innovative Teachers Network, Microsoft provides to SEAMEO Member Countries a communications platform that enables teachers to work together in the enhancement of their professional skills. The system allows access to networks within their respective countries and across the globe. In the Partners-in-Learning Programme, Microsoft provides affordable desktop tools and licensing for primary and secondary schools

using donated computers and free upgrades, student skills assessment and high quality curriculum for teacher training. The facility the system provides to communicate with students, parents and other stakeholders also help teachers in the performance of their classroom tasks.

SEAMEO has a strong presence in Southeast Asian countries. How is SEAMEO strengthening its existing partnerships and exploring new opportunities in these countries?

SEAMEO, through its network of 12 Centres, does have a presence on the ground. The SEAMEO Regional Centres work across all ten of the ASEAN countries. SEAMEO is focusing on regional projects and has been expanding partnerships with international development agencies, such as UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHABITAT, the ADB and the World Bank, that share its concern for the development of education, science and culture in the region. In the last few years, it has also pushed a process to establish closer linkages with ASEAN. How has SEAMEO provided regional leadership for human resource development in the field of education?

SEAMEO is in a unique position to provide this regional leadership on education. Only the ministries of education have the structure and organization, maintained successfully over more than 40 years, that potentially allow for intervention at both the policy and project level on a sustained and coordinated basis.

How would you like to see Thailand with respect to its human resource in 2015?

Thailand, by 2015, would have achieved the EFA and MDG targets, raised the tertiary-level enrollment, and demonstrably improved the quality of educational services in both basic and higher education systems. ❏ Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

Exhibition Report

Thailand’s only Exposition for Animation and Multimedia Industry Thailand Animation and Multimedia (TAM) 2006, 12-15 January, 2006

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urrently, animation is gaining increasing importance in diverse applications such as – movies, advertising, product promotion, presentation etc. In Thailand, the animation and multimedia industry is growing every year, as evident from a growing amount of creative work generated by animation professionals who are hired by both domestic and overseas producers. Recognizing the rising opportunity and a bright future of the industry, along with a commitment to promote Thailand as the “Hollywood of Asia,” Software Industry Promotion Agency (SIPA) – a Public Digital Learning February 2006

“Imagination, new technologies and new things happen everyday; especially in the animation and multimedia industry where anything is possible.”

– Ms. Kruewal Somana, Chairman of SIPA; Software Industry Promotion Agency

Organization under Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Government of Thailand, launched ‘Thailand Animation and Multimedia (TAM)’ show in 2003, which was highly acclaimed both by exhibitors and visitors alike.

In ‘Thailand Animation and Multimedia (TAM) 2006’, SIPA continues to promote this new chapter of the industry, bringing new content that enables professionals to capitalize upon the growing business opportunities and to allow the public to see, once again, that Thai animation and multimedia has

progressed to a level they should see to believe.

With this year’s theme – ‘Beyond Imagination’ and having ‘Super TAM’ as the mascot (being designed by the famous Thai cartoonist Chai Ratchawat), the four days of the event consisted of a number of funfilled shows and activities: The Animation and Multimedia Software Exhibition with 150 exhibitors spread over 15,000 sq. meters showcased products, technologies and computer arts from the animation and multimedia 43

software producers locally as well as from abroad. There was also an elaborate demonstration of the creative capability of Thai software developers in producing animation and multimedia work.

leading companies of animation and multimedia industry in Thailand, who received applications from young job seekers. The data generated out of this will be collected to form a ‘Skill Pool Database’ for the industry.

The Showcase: Towards Future Technology - comprised a display of world-class technologies on animation and multimedia. Visitors

The Digital Kids Show consisted of activities for children and youth on the Children’s Day. It comprised of programs on animation, with line

saw 4D technology, used for the first time in Thailand.

drawings by famous artists, competition on famous cartoon figures, shows by young people including entertainment shows, which educates on ICT.

Technical Seminars delivered informative and educational content from world-renowned experts who shared their insights and vision into the world of animation. These seminars had speakers who are professional animators and cartoonists in Thailand, Japan, USA and some other countries.

The Job Fair at TAM 2006 had

The TAM Contest and Awards had representatives from more than 10,000 schools from all over the country, having opportunity of winning over 3.4 million Baht in prizes.

Competitions were based on character designs, comic, short animation, mobile games etc.

Education Workshop In an effort to support the continuing success of the GIS industry and to address the lack of effective GIS education curriculum, a‘ GIS Education workshop’ was conducted as a one of the parallel tracks in Map India 2006 Conference (www.mapindia.org).

The workshop chaired by Prof. Dr. Josef Strobl, Salzburg University, Austria and saw presentations session, a panel discussion and an open floor discussion on various concerns of GIS education.

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New Delhi, India An appropriate geo-informatics education and curriculum development plan is required to for creating trained manpower. There is a need of advanced curriculum development in geoinformtaics education with special reference to India.

The speakers shared their experiences and deliberated on the need for standardisation and the importance of GI Science education across the continents emphasizing the social

The TAM Partnership Programme was organised as a part of the event to develop and promote 150 business match making meetings and contacts between those desiring to invest in producing movies in Thailand, or to purchase animation films or characters .

The TAM Workshop A-Z, organised for the first time in TAM, had

classroom sessions on animation and multimedia, that provided information and solutions to create high-end animations.

The Digital Art Gallery of TAM 2006 showed interesting digital arts from all over the world on large format digital display screens.

Over all TAM 2006 was a grand success with a breathtaking showcase of the promising future of Thailand’s animation and multimedia industry. utility domain of the GIS application areas.

While deliberating on the access and outreach of GIS education, the speakers, agreed that distance education was a very important delivery mode to reach students as well as teachers. Dr Strobl shared his experience in distance learning in UNIGIS –the GIS education initiative of the Salzburg University that reaches out to students around the globe. Dr Strobl highlighted the importance of online tools and elearning practices to reach the unreached in GIS education.

Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2

The UNESCO Literacy Portal

http://portal.unesco.org/education Literacy is a basic cognitive skill, which is compulsory for the development of an individual and of society at large. A prosperous and progressive future of the world will only be possible when universal quality education is provided to all.

Corresponding to this truth of today’s world, achieving universal primary education is one of the eight goals (Millennium Development Goals) set and adopted by the UN General Assembly in its Millennium Declaration in 2000.

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has been striving to provide education to all. The purpose of UNESCO’s educational programme has been to promote education as a fundamental human right, to improve the quality of education and to promote experimentation, innovation and sharing of information and best practices in edition to policy dialogue in education.

Literacy is one of the UNESCO’s three main target areas to accelerate progress towards the goal of Education For All (EFA) by 2015; Teacher Training and HIV/AIDS prevention education are the other areas.

Keeping up the tradition of providing high quality content, UNESCO has developed a new portal on Literacy.The importance of literacy can be best understood by the statement in this portal - “Literacy is Digital Learning February 2006

an indispensable means for effective social and economic participation, contributing to human development and poverty reduction”. The portal assumes significance in the light of the fact that UNESCO is celebrating 2003-2012 as literacy decade and its mission statement declares: Literacy as Freedom.

This web site contains information on themes such as gender equality, HIV/ AIDS, information and communication technologies, life skills, microfinance,

non-formal education and poverty reduction in the context of literacy and educational development.

The main objective of the literacy portal is to provide an online platform for information sharing on literacy related projects and activities, which are taking place around the world. It’s most important aim is to enhance UNESCO’s capacity in coordinating the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) in building partnerships at all level. This portal provides a comprehensive overview of UNESCO’s literacy related activities, its strategy, domains of action, initiatives.

The Literacy portal also provides

On the web

information and valuable documents from various literacy actors such as United Nations Organisations (UNDP,UNFPA etc) Member states, bilateral and multilateral institutions (Commonwealth of Learning, World Bank etc), Non-Governmental Organizations / Community Based Organizations , Foundations and Private sector. Some of the documents which can be obtained form this portal are: United Nations Literacy Decade: Progress Report 2004-2005, Literacy-A UNESCO Perspective, Literacy for AllInformation kit on UN Literacy Decade(20032012),Address of Director General of UNESCO at the launch of UN Literacy Decade, The plurality of literacy and its implication for policies and programmes, The Dakar Framework of Action, for Education For All: Meeting our Collective Commitments etc.

This portal also provides updated information on the events and activities in education sector around the world in its news section along with information on new publications on education. The portal has an extensive coverage of projects and conferences related to literacy and education.

The portal also highlights and marks various internationally important days and decades such as International Literacy Day, United Nations Literacy Decade, United Nation Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and Millennium Development Goals.

This portal is a one-stop location for all updates on the state of literacy of the world. ❏ 45

Mark your calendar february Open Road 2006 Conference: Challenges and Possibilities 6-7 February, 2006 Melbourne, Australia

www.dlasia.csdms.in

Strengthening the Business Fabric with Dynamic ICT IDC's Asia/Pacific CIO Summit 2006 15-17 March, 2006 Bangkok, Thailand http://www.idc.com.sg

http://www.openroad.net.au

Digital Inequality and New Spaces of Informal Education for Young People 9-11 February, 2006 Bielefeld, Germany

Role of the Media in the Development of Education in Africa 20-22 March 2006 Nigeria

http://www.kib-bielefeld.de

http://www.ijnet.org/FE_Article/news article. asp?UILang=1&CId=303352& CIdLang=1

e-Learning 2006 11 - 14 February 2006 Georgia USA

Innovating e-Learning 2006: Transforming Learning Experiences 27-31 March 2006

http://144.162.197.250/eLearning2006.htm

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=elp_ conference06_programme

Conference on Knowledge Management in Higher Education: A Gateway to Excellence and Innovation in Africa 22-24 February 2006 Pietermaritzburg South Africa http://www.ukzn.ac.za/km/conf.htm

march ODCE 2006 Conference 5-7 March, 2006 Columbus, Ohio USA

Digital Learning Asia 2006 25-28 April 2006 Bangkok Thailand

april Interactive Mobile and Computer Aided Learning Princess Sumaya University for Technology 19-21 April 2006 Amman-Jordan http://www.imcl-conference.org/

Education and Economic Development in Africa 25-26 April 2006 MontrĂŠal, Canada

june ED-MEDIA—World Conference 26-30 June, 2006 Orlando, Florida USA http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/ countries.htm.

Digital literacies and learning in the information society 5th International Conference on eLiteracy East Midlands UK 28 - 30 June 2006 http://www.lboro.ac.uk/library/eLit2006/

july DEANZ 2006 conference Enabling E-Learning Approaches in C21 3-5 July 2006 Auckland University of Technology (AUT) Auckland New Zealand http://www.deanz.org.nz/conf2006/ papers.html

http://www.oln.org/conferences/ ODCE2006/ODCE2006hilton.php

Ohio Digital Commons for Education (ODCE) 2006 Conference The Convergence of Libraries, Learning and Technology Open Doors to the Future 6-7 March, 2006 https://home2.oln.org/ODCE2006/ ODCE2006registration.php

International Conference on Digital Media and Learning 13-14 March, 2006 Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand http://www.icdml2006.net/

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www.ntskeptics.org

Digital Learning Vol 2 Issue 2