YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO ABROAD TO STUDY
Jun 02, 2009
Makerere University has devoted two lecture rooms to tele-education. Tele-education, the first of its kind in Uganda, is a system where students from different geographical locations learn from better facilitated education institutions through satellite t
By Frederick Womakuyu
Makerere University has devoted two lecture rooms to tele-education. Tele-education, the first of its kind in Uganda, is a system where students from different geographical locations learn from better facilitated education institutions through satellite technology.
Half a dozen loudspeakers have been erected and a projector installed in each of the rooms, courtesy of Indira Gandhi National Open University.
The rooms are also equipped with a video camera and a microphone for transmitting images and sound, respectively.
The students listen, take down notes and ask questions. They watch the lecturer on a screen and listen to him and so does he. The lessons are interactive.
Teaching materials, including demonstration charts and computers, are placed before the students for use when the need arises. It is like an ordinary lecture, the only difference is that the lecturer is based in India.
Students from the universities of Nairobi in Kenya, Dar-es-aalam in Tanzania and 11 other universities in East Africa are linked via video. A student at Makerere can answer a question posed by a colleague in Dar-es-aalam University. Students are given coursework at the end of the lecture.
The programme, dubbed the Pan African E-Network Project, is funded by the government of India to a tune of over $200m (sh468b).
It is a joint initiative between the government of India and the African Union (AU), which aims at developing Africa’s information and communication technology. Eventually, all the 53 African countries will be connected to satellite and fibre-optic cables.
Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, the dean of Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (CIT), Makerere, says Uganda is benefiting from three of the projects, including tele-medicine, tele-education and a private communication network for AU heads of state.
“Makerere is taking the lead in implementating tele-education,†Baryamureeba says.
Tele-education operates through undersea fibre-optic cables from Mumbai to Senegal on the West African Coast. Programmes are linked through satellite to the receiving centres in the 53 countries.
Africa has been divided into eastern, southern, central, western and northern regions. Makerere was selected as the main hub among five leading universities selected by the AU,†says Joseph Semwogerere, the coordinator of the tele-education project at Makerere.
The five leading regional universities chosen for the project include Makerere (East Africa); Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana (West Africa); University of Yaoundé, Cameroon (Central Africa); Ebadan Hospital, Nigeria (West Africa) and the Brazzaville Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo (Central Africa).
Uganda is in charge of the equipment. “It was chosen after submitting an excellent proposal, satisfying that it has enough facilities, human resource and networking to handle the project,†Semowogerere says.
Makerere has undertaken research in information communication technology at undergraduate, diploma and postgraduate levels.
It has aslo embarked on the publication of a bi-annual international journal, The International Journal of Computing and ICT research, and hosts an annual international conference dubbed International Conference on Computing and ICT Research.
Makerere was also selected as the AU information communication technology centre of excellence for eastern Africa and is mandated to oversee AU Initiatives in 13 countries on tele-education project in Africa.
Makerere will disseminate lectures in tele-education from Indian universities to the 13 universities in East Africa, Baryamureeba says. Makerere has set up a studio for this.
“It has been tested successfully for audio, video and data transmission since September 24, 2008.â€
He says the initiative is a solution to the overseas education that Africans crave for Asian, American and European universities.
“Instead of going there, simply enroll at Makerere, where you will attend lectures from scholars in overseas universities by satellite link. It will reduce the costs,†he says.
Indian universities will set the exams, mark and award degrees or certificates recognised worldwide. “The students will get international exposure,†he says.
Semwogerere says the masters programme will take a maximum of two years, a diploma will take one year and a bachelor’s degree a maximum of three years.
Masters in international business, Bachelor of information technology, Diploma in information technology, and Masters in information technology will be taught through the tele project.
“S.6 leavers, diploma holders and students upgrading will be eligible for admission. We shall start with 50 undergraduate and 30 postgraduate students. We do not want to take on many students because it is a new concept.
“We are supposed to have the first intake in July this year, but are behind schedule because the Senate has to sit and make guidelines governing the admissions,†Semwogerere says. “But I hope we shall beat the deadline.â€
Under the project, students will pay a small fee to be set by the Senate. Baryamureeba says this will be spent on maintaining the equipment.
“We shall also use the money to purchase equipment so that we set up similar learning centres at regional levels in Uganda. This is to boost the universal education programme in primary and secondary levels,†Baryamureeba says.
He says not all the pupils who have enrolled for universal primary and secondary education make it beyond these levels.
“So the question is, where do they go after that? In response to this, CIT will be opening similar satellite centres in conjunction with Indian universities to offer certificate, diploma and degree courses to communities in villages, churches and districts,†Baryamureeba says.
This will make education available to all Ugandans in their native villages, without necessarily going to India or Makerere.
The project was announced by the former Indian President, Abdul Kalama, in South Africa in 2004 as part of India’s aid to Africa.
In 2007, the first pilot project was launched in Ethiopia and in 2009, the first pioneer students of the project will be graduating with a Masters in International Business. In February, the Indian government launched the project to the rest of AU states.
The Indian High Commission says in five years, the project will have benefited over 10,000 students; 5,000 for diploma and certificate courses, 3,000 for undergraduate and 2,000 for post-graduate.
Makerere University has devoted two lecture rooms to tele-education. Tele-education, the first of its kind in Uganda, is a system where students from different geographical locations learn from better facilitated education institutions through satellite technology.
Half a dozen loudspeakers have been erected and a projector installed in each of the rooms, courtesy of Indira Gandhi National Open University.
The rooms are also equipped with a video camera and a microphone for transmitting images and sound, respectively.
The students listen, take down notes and ask questions. They watch the lecturer on a screen and listen to him and so does he. The lessons are interactive.
Teaching materials, including demonstration charts and computers, are placed before the students for use when the need arises. It is like an ordinary lecture, the only difference is that the lecturer is based in India.
Students from the universities of Nairobi in Kenya, Dar-es-aalam in Tanzania and 11 other universities in East Africa are linked via video. A student at Makerere can answer a question posed by a colleague in Dar-es-aalam University. Students are given coursework at the end of the lecture.
The programme, dubbed the Pan African E-Network Project, is funded by the government of India to a tune of over $200m (sh468b).
It is a joint initiative between the government of India and the African Union (AU), which aims at developing Africa’s information and communication technology. Eventually, all the 53 African countries will be connected to satellite and fibre-optic cables.
Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, the dean of Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (CIT), Makerere, says Uganda is benefiting from three of the projects, including tele-medicine, tele-education and a private communication network for AU heads of state.
“Makerere is taking the lead in implementating tele-education,†Baryamureeba says.
Tele-education operates through undersea fibre-optic cables from Mumbai to Senegal on the West African Coast. Programmes are linked through satellite to the receiving centres in the 53 countries.
Africa has been divided into eastern, southern, central, western and northern regions. Makerere was selected as the main hub among five leading universities selected by the AU,†says Joseph Semwogerere, the coordinator of the tele-education project at Makerere.
The five leading regional universities chosen for the project include Makerere (East Africa); Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana (West Africa); University of Yaoundé, Cameroon (Central Africa); Ebadan Hospital, Nigeria (West Africa) and the Brazzaville Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo (Central Africa).
Uganda is in charge of the equipment. “It was chosen after submitting an excellent proposal, satisfying that it has enough facilities, human resource and networking to handle the project,†Semowogerere says.
Makerere has undertaken research in information communication technology at undergraduate, diploma and postgraduate levels.
It has aslo embarked on the publication of a bi-annual international journal, The International Journal of Computing and ICT research, and hosts an annual international conference dubbed International Conference on Computing and ICT Research.
Makerere was also selected as the AU information communication technology centre of excellence for eastern Africa and is mandated to oversee AU Initiatives in 13 countries on tele-education project in Africa.
Makerere will disseminate lectures in tele-education from Indian universities to the 13 universities in East Africa, Baryamureeba says. Makerere has set up a studio for this.
“It has been tested successfully for audio, video and data transmission since September 24, 2008.â€
He says the initiative is a solution to the overseas education that Africans crave for Asian, American and European universities.
“Instead of going there, simply enroll at Makerere, where you will attend lectures from scholars in overseas universities by satellite link. It will reduce the costs,†he says.
Indian universities will set the exams, mark and award degrees or certificates recognised worldwide. “The students will get international exposure,†he says.
Semwogerere says the masters programme will take a maximum of two years, a diploma will take one year and a bachelor’s degree a maximum of three years.
Masters in international business, Bachelor of information technology, Diploma in information technology, and Masters in information technology will be taught through the tele project.
“S.6 leavers, diploma holders and students upgrading will be eligible for admission. We shall start with 50 undergraduate and 30 postgraduate students. We do not want to take on many students because it is a new concept.
“We are supposed to have the first intake in July this year, but are behind schedule because the Senate has to sit and make guidelines governing the admissions,†Semwogerere says. “But I hope we shall beat the deadline.â€
Under the project, students will pay a small fee to be set by the Senate. Baryamureeba says this will be spent on maintaining the equipment.
“We shall also use the money to purchase equipment so that we set up similar learning centres at regional levels in Uganda. This is to boost the universal education programme in primary and secondary levels,†Baryamureeba says.
He says not all the pupils who have enrolled for universal primary and secondary education make it beyond these levels.
“So the question is, where do they go after that? In response to this, CIT will be opening similar satellite centres in conjunction with Indian universities to offer certificate, diploma and degree courses to communities in villages, churches and districts,†Baryamureeba says.
This will make education available to all Ugandans in their native villages, without necessarily going to India or Makerere.
The project was announced by the former Indian President, Abdul Kalama, in South Africa in 2004 as part of India’s aid to Africa.
In 2007, the first pilot project was launched in Ethiopia and in 2009, the first pioneer students of the project will be graduating with a Masters in International Business. In February, the Indian government launched the project to the rest of AU states.
The Indian High Commission says in five years, the project will have benefited over 10,000 students; 5,000 for diploma and certificate courses, 3,000 for undergraduate and 2,000 for post-graduate.