The Namibian Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) Foundation of SA, has formed an alliance to provide and certify Namibian educators and students with a world standard in computer skills over the next five years. This is according to Peter Davies, director of the ICDL Foundation.
He says the ICDL certification project is in line with the Namibian government and the Global e-Schools Communities Initiative (founded by the United Nations ICT Task Force), to enhance ICT implementation in the Namibian education system.
Davies says at the moment, trainers are busy on the first stages of training 400 teachers in ICDL skills. He notes that once teachers are trained and certified with a quality assured certificate from the ICDL Foundation, they can then begin to train and certify their students. Davies says the ICDL certification project hopes to reach around 200 schools in 2007, with roll-out beginning at the start of next year.
He notes that there are a number of important aspects when bringing ICT skills to a region. It is important to empower teachers and administrators with ICT tools in their work and everyday life to ensure confidence and competence, he says. "If teachers do not have the confidence in the ICT skills, the training and certification process will be inhibited."
The course is compacted into seven modules, giving individuals a wide-ranging set of computer skills, says Davies, who adds that the course can be used in both open source and proprietary operating systems.
Government support
Davies notes that the Namibian Ministry of Education`s outlook on ICT policy and implementation is progressive, which makes ICT roll-out and investment fairly problem-free. "The process which the Namibia Ministry of Education has followed is an example to others - they have developed a rigorous ICT development policy and dedicated resources to ensure its implementation."
He highlights the importance of working with governments when it comes to ICT implementation, as it has longer-lasting impact and support.
The ICDL certification process is also under way in Egypt, where the government has undertaken to certify the computer skills of at least a million public servants over the next five years using ICDL, with the potential for several million more to follow, says Davies.
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