TANZANIA :STATE OF ICT IN EDUCATION SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

Patti Swarts, GeSCI Africa Regional Programme Manager

TPD Workshop, 20 -22 October 2009, Dar es Salaam

Structure of presentation

• Purpose• Process and methodology• Assumptions and limitations• Current findings: - General - Planning and deployment - ICT integration

Session objectives

The session will provide:a) Overview of the findings of the Tanzania

Situational Analysis b) Draw attention to findings significant for

ICT in TPD framework development c) Identify outstanding issues/areas to be

followed up

PURPOSE

- Establish state of ICT4E: readiness - Identify initiatives and progress - Identify opportunities, gaps and challenges - Identify role for GeSCI (if any) - Provide basis for crafting appropriate strategy

Process and methodology

• Desk study: official documents, statistics, internet sources

• Meetings and interviews• Round table/focus group discussions• Observations and analysis

Limitations

• At this point focused primarily on MoEVT• Baseline data on state of ICT in education not

readily available• Difficulty in obtaining data and verifying data• Not all processes and activities documented

FINDINGS: General

• Main challenges: standard and quality of education provision, equity, access and participation

• Remarkable increase in access at all levels, also at higher education institutions

• Rapid growth in ICT infrastructure, but facilities mainly available in urban areas with rural areas underserved

• Dramatic expansion of mobile telephony services, while minimal growth in fixed lines and low internet penetration

General findings (cont.)

Source: Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority: http://www.tcra.go.tz/publications/telecom.html

General findings (cont.)

• Apart from few pilots, education not yet tapping into wide mobile telephony coverage

• Recognition of ICT potential to bring about qualitative improvement, but not translated into action

• Mindset: ICTs still regarded as luxury items rather than as developmental tools

• Majority of university programmes located within humanities and business

• Telecommunication services inadequate

General findings (cont.)

• Existing organisational structures not aligned to needs of knowledge-based economy, not conducive to effective ICT integration: bureaucratic, hierarchical, resistant to change

• Alternative interventions for improving quality of teaching (at all levels) not yet explored

• Sector heavily dependent on donor funding: sustainability of initiatives

Planning and deployment

• Policy in place , but no implementation plan• No baseline on the state of ICTs in basic education:

intentions to capture data in near future• Number of schools with computers and internet

limited, most schools have radio and comparatively smaller number have television sets

• Widespread advocacy and use of open source software

Planning and deployment

• EMIS supplied regional and district offices with computers, printers and training to collect, process and disseminate information: ICT data not yet captured

• Lack of proper scheme of service to compensate ICT tutors

• Lack of hardware and software• Insufficient financial resources• Teachers with ICT skills deployed to schools without

ICT infrastructure

Planning and deployment (cont.)

• Lack of e-government strategy and coordination• Only 10% of total population connected to national

power grid with 1% in rural areas connected• Consistency between energy policy and plans and

economic planning relating to health, agriculture, education, water and ICT sectors weak: energy needs not synchronized and prioritized

• Fiber optic cable docked from South Africa at UDSM: by November national fiber optic cable complete – significant reduction in connectivity costs expected

ICT integration

• ICT curriculum developed for pre-primary and primary, but only taught in few schools in urban areas

• E-School target to equip all secondary schools with ICTs (computers) by 2015: limited progress

• All TTCs equipped: 1 250 networked thin-client computers with open source software, tutors trained, ICT curriculum developed and in use

• VETA: intention to build ICT Centre of Excellence

ICT integration (cont.)

• Most universities have dedicated computer centres and through TERNET will create electronic network that will connect all higher education institutions, research facilities and TTCs

• Only UDSM and OUT make use of digital learning environments – most universities offer ICT training

• Progress in local content development (web portals, blogs, online forums, discussion groups)

ICT integration (cont.)

• Local content availability: infrequently updated sites, obsolescent links of government sites, in English rather than Kiswahili

• Organisational challenges: lack of capacity, organisational inertia, unsupportive processes, inadequate awareness and management skills

ICT integration (cont.)

• ICTs not yet institutionalised as mandatory requirement

• Fragmented understanding of the benefits of ICTs and e-learning

• NECTA: interactive web portals, online exam registration, distribution of results and information

Next steps

• Identify who to work with for completion• Develop final draft for sharing with MoEVT

and relevant partners• Feedback/corrections incorporated• Identify whether there’s role for GeSCI• Develop proposal and MoU

ASANTE!