Delegates from eight African countries have agreed on an e-campus model in which every participating country can play a significant role. The delegates are meeting at the CSIR offices in Pretoria to discuss various ways of using ICT to benefit Africa`s tertiary education sector.
The meeting, which ends today, is a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)-sponsored expert group meeting. It is hosted and organised by the CSIR Information Society Technologies Centre.
There are 30 local and international delegates representing the tertiary sector in eight African countries. Around 18 international delegates are from Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Finland, World Bank, NEPAD, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and the International Development Research Centre.
"Africa has yet to experience the true, wide-ranging benefits that ICT can bring throughout society," says Bob Day, who works on the Pan-African e-campus project.
"Most large African institutions are importers of developed-world ICTs which have negligible impact on the exclusion and poverty of most African people. ICTs are only just being introduced to multi-purpose community centres, school connectivity projects and similar initiatives," says Day.
"Education for all is only possible through a new paradigm," says Stranger Kgamphi, secretary-general of the South African National Commission for UNESCO.
"Africa`s system of science, technology and innovation is functioning well," says Phil Mjwara, national labour centre manager of the CSIR. "The e-campus initiative will offer great opportunity for SA and the African continent. It is of importance that initiatives should work across the whole continent."
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