ICT4 development in an Ethiopian context: Ahead's plan for a community college

1. ICT4 developmentin an Ethiopian context: Ahead's plan for a community college Coral Jepson

2. Introduction • Ahead’s vision, mission and goals • The Ethiopian context: the learning and the digital divides • Community college and radio as core projects • Discussion points

3. Ahead(Action for Health, Education and Development) • Vision - A healthy, educated and prosperous community that enjoys life with justice and dignity. Mission: To work with disadvantaged people to eliminate poverty, lack of education, ill-health and injustice. • Goals: - Disadvantaged people's awareness of, and access to, healthcare services will increase. - Marginalised people’s access to responsive education will be improved. • Excluded people will be empowered to participate in development initiatives.

4. Eritrea Red Sea Sudan Tigray Yemen Gonder Blue Nile T’ana Hayk’ Afar Amara Benish-angul Gumuz Djibouti Desĕ Bahir Dar Gulf of Aden Addis Ababa Dirē Dawa Hārer Somalia Nasrĕt Gambala Jima Oromia Somali Werdēr SNNP Gujii Borana Zone Dolo Odo Moyalē Lake Rudolf Indian Ocean Somalia Kenya Why Ahead and why focus on the Gujii region? • Ethiopia in general and Gujii region in particular have immense health, education and development needs. • Organised efforts can help to address these needs. • Trustees’ connections with Ethiopia and Gujii Zone - responding to requests from local people.

5. Health Education Development What projects are planned?

6. Education • Ahead seeks to: • address the learning divides and widen participation • promote digital dividend or inclusion • tackle the digital divides

7. Gender learning divides (primary education) Source: Education Management Information System, (EMIS), Ministry of Education. 2005, Addis Ababa

8. Gender learning divides (Secondary education) Source: Education Management Information System, (EMIS), Ministry of Education. 2005, Addis Ababa

9. Technological divides Source: Demeke & Biru (2002)

10. Technological divides Source: Demeke & Biru (2002)

11. Ahead Community College (ACC) will: • Deliver high quality, flexible & responsive learning opportunities for: • Health practitioners, teachers, adults, apprenticees, entrepreneurs etc • Improve vocational and technical skills • Deploy new technologies to widen access • Link with national & international agencies • Promote local innovation and self-reliance

12. Ahead Community Radio (ACR) will: • Link with ACC and promotes its programmes • Widen distance education via radio • Broadcast high quality programmes on: • Health, education and development • Encourage participation of civil society organisations and businesses • Build self-esteem and cultural renaissance • Promote global & environmental awareness

13. Proposed structure of ACC

14. Proposed structure of ACC

15. Discussion points • Reality - what does/will ICT4 development mean forGujii zone’s • rural communities • local practitioners (community, district and regional level) • civil society organisations such as Ahead and its partner organisations? and how can the limitations of infrastructure, technical expertise and resources be addressed by a small charity such as Ahead? • Potential - what’s the potential for various ICT tools in these different contexts (radio, computers, internet/email, distance education, mobile phones)? • Support– how can Ahead collaborate with Centre for Distance Education (funding applications, technical expertise, resource development, deployment of staff)?

16. www.ahead.org.ukelfneh@ahead.org.ukThank You!