ICT can reduce the costs of running schools
May 17, 2011
MOST schools in Uganda lack Internet and the few that have it lack the speed that could be effective in cutting the costs of running the school.
MOST schools in Uganda lack Internet and the few that have it lack the speed that could be effective in cutting the costs of running the school.
Administrators in most schools do not give priority to Information Communications Technology (ICT), which, if well embraced, could be one of the means to reduce the cost of running their schools.
Below are some of the benefits for a secondary school with a high speed Internet connection.
Outsourcing secretarial services
This involves getting virtual secretaries (secretaries at remote who can do all the computer work at their place of convenience and just send the final work as attachments to your email address). The work to be done can be sent to them in form of hard copies or scanned handwritten documents sent to them as attachments.
With such a system in place, schools can cut on the cost of maintaining more than one secretary.
Integrating online live teaching
Online live teaching is a mode of teaching/learning where students can be assisted/attended to by teachers/students at remote using a computer connected to a high speed Internet. A suitable web conferencing software is installed on the computers of both the teacher and learner.
During teaching, the teacher can share virtual white boards, presentations, animation, audio and video in real time. With this mode of teaching, the teacher has the potential of making his/her lessons instrumental since they can be spiced up with animations, video clips and still pictures. Additionally, lessons taught can be recorded and retrieved by students at a later date.
With a virtual learning centre, schools can cut time/costs on facilitators since they do not have to travel to interact with their learners.
Online libraries
Many schools still lack libraries and even those that have them find it hard to maintain the text books they have in fear of books being stolen by learners. The text books wear out as they are continually used. The solution to all the problems with the traditional libraries would be to integrate digital/online libraries where learners can access the reading material from the online libraries.
Web surveillance
With web cameras installed in a school, administrators would be in position to monitor whatever is taking place in the schools at any time.
The moment students get to know that they are under surveillance, I highly believe this would automatically tame the way they behave and hence improving on their discipline.
Surveillance cameras can be installed in examination rooms, libraries, gates and around kitchens.
I have much hope that if administrators of several schools can be cooperative, with ICT, schools can cut down operational cost by integrating what is mentioned above in their systems.
Gerald Nsamba,
secondary school teacher /Manager of Advanced Virtual Education Centre (AVEC), an ICT centre
in Kalisizo, Rakai district
Administrators in most schools do not give priority to Information Communications Technology (ICT), which, if well embraced, could be one of the means to reduce the cost of running their schools.
Below are some of the benefits for a secondary school with a high speed Internet connection.
Outsourcing secretarial services
This involves getting virtual secretaries (secretaries at remote who can do all the computer work at their place of convenience and just send the final work as attachments to your email address). The work to be done can be sent to them in form of hard copies or scanned handwritten documents sent to them as attachments.
With such a system in place, schools can cut on the cost of maintaining more than one secretary.
Integrating online live teaching
Online live teaching is a mode of teaching/learning where students can be assisted/attended to by teachers/students at remote using a computer connected to a high speed Internet. A suitable web conferencing software is installed on the computers of both the teacher and learner.
During teaching, the teacher can share virtual white boards, presentations, animation, audio and video in real time. With this mode of teaching, the teacher has the potential of making his/her lessons instrumental since they can be spiced up with animations, video clips and still pictures. Additionally, lessons taught can be recorded and retrieved by students at a later date.
With a virtual learning centre, schools can cut time/costs on facilitators since they do not have to travel to interact with their learners.
Online libraries
Many schools still lack libraries and even those that have them find it hard to maintain the text books they have in fear of books being stolen by learners. The text books wear out as they are continually used. The solution to all the problems with the traditional libraries would be to integrate digital/online libraries where learners can access the reading material from the online libraries.
Web surveillance
With web cameras installed in a school, administrators would be in position to monitor whatever is taking place in the schools at any time.
The moment students get to know that they are under surveillance, I highly believe this would automatically tame the way they behave and hence improving on their discipline.
Surveillance cameras can be installed in examination rooms, libraries, gates and around kitchens.
I have much hope that if administrators of several schools can be cooperative, with ICT, schools can cut down operational cost by integrating what is mentioned above in their systems.
Gerald Nsamba,
secondary school teacher /Manager of Advanced Virtual Education Centre (AVEC), an ICT centre
in Kalisizo, Rakai district