Tertiary Distance Learning in
Sub-Saharan Africa
Distance learning methodologies are gaining recognition across Africa
as valuable tools for expanding access to higher education while strengthening
education quality and relevance. In 1997, distance learning was the
focus of a review conducted by the Working Group on Higher Education
(WGHE). Two major surveys of current tertiary distance learning activities
in francophone, lusophone and anglophone countries were commissioned
as well as ten case studies of existing programs.(1) The material was
subsequently synthesized and published in English and French as a document
entitled Tertiary Distance learning in Sub-Saharan Africa Overview and
Directory to Programs (See Box below). The following article provides
an overview of the African experience and a summary analysis of the
results of the surveys.
Target audiences are growing
In Africa, distance learning has been used primarily to upgrade the
quality of basic education by improving the skills of teachers in primary
and secondary schools. In this area, South Africa, which provides correspondence
courses throughout the sub-region, appears to be the most experienced.
Madagascar employs distance learning in the education of first-year
university students. The University of Abidjan has experimented with
satellite-linked training in math, information science, and the sciences
provided by French universities. Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Botswana possess
recently established distance learning institutions for tertiary studies.
The University of Namibia provides distance instruction combined with
campus-based courses.
The use of telematics is limited but expanding
Correspondence courses supported by print self-study media have been
the most common method of distance instruction. These practices in some
cases involving little more than the mailing of lecture summaries to
students are gradually being improved in order to boost their effectiveness.
Changes include specially prepared distance learning materials, desktop
publishing techniques, and more agressive student support through local
study centers or study facilitators who guide periodic group discussions.
New information and communication technologies such as the Internet,
video-conferencing and other forms of multimedia are beginning to be
explored. The Telesun program in Cameroon provides Internet-based courses
in the sciences. The FORST program links Benin and three other countries
with Mc Gill University in Canada. The RESAFAD program in Djibouti provides
teacher training from French universities. Two virtual university initiatives,
the World Bank supported African Virtual University and the Agence de
la Francophonie sup-ported Universit francophone virtuelle have been
launched in recent years.
Capacities for the development of distance learning mate-rials and
programs are quite limited. Speciali-zed training centers for distance
learning exist only in Madagascar, Mauritius and South Africa. However,
Togo and Congo are now setting up university based distance training
programs and Cte d'Ivoire is conducting a feasibility study in this
area.
Key factors of success
Among the programs reviewed, success is clearly linked to several factors.
Primary among these are: the existence of an articulated national policy
on distance learning; support for distance learning by the nation's
political leadership; and, the recognition of distance learning by the
public service in its assessment of employee qualifications. Other important
factors include: the availability of professionally trained distance
learning staff to manage the program; the complementary use of several
different kinds of media; and, the existence of follow-up and support
programs for learners to reinforce teaching.
Not surprisingly, the main difficulties encountered by programs tend
to be the absence of the very factors that promote success. These include
the absence of accepted national policies and high level political support
for distance learning, the lack of formal recognition of distance learning
degrees within the country and trained staff, limited budgets and poor
domestic infrastructure (e.g. roads, postal system, telecommunications).
Future prospects
Interest in distance learning in Africa is expanding rapidly as governments
and institutions struggle to expand enrollments under severe budget
constraints. Conditions appear to be conducive in Burkina Faso, Cte
d'Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Concurrently, political leaders
are becoming more aware of the potential uses of distance learning to
boost the quality of teaching in basic education, to offer learning
opportunities to disadvantaged adults, and to extend education services
to the more remote areas of their countries. As telecommunications infrastructure
improves, experience with the Internet is growing.
In summary, awareness of the potential of distance learning as an effective
delivery system for higher education in Africa is growing rapidly among
African political and educational leaders. While distance learning is
likely to become an important component of African tertiary education
in the next decade, it is likely to be different from experiences with
open universities and similar undertakings in the North. In Africa,
it is possible that tertiary distance learning may exist in the absence
of a national university. Or it may be highly decentralized or based
on multi-country cooperation. Incipient cooperation already exists between
Mauritius and Madagascar and the potential for joint efforts between
South Africa and its neighbors, and between Cte d'Ivoire and Burkina
Faso is also evident. Distance learning clearly will have an important
role in Africa, but this role is not yet well defined.
William Saint
WGHE Coordinator
(1) Surveys were undertaken by the French Secrétariat d'Etat
à la Coopration (for francophone and lusophone Africa) and by
the Commonwealth of Learning (for anglophone Africa). They were commissioned
for the WGHE meeting on Tertiary Distance Education hosted by the Université
Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis, Senegal, October 20-22, 1997.
The Global Distance Education Network
The Global Distance Education Network is a World Bank supported
web site that provides a coherent and comprehensive guide to distance
education. It is intended primarily for use in the developing country
context. Yet it is also a valuable resource for educators and policymakers
in all settings who are concerned with increasing educational access
and improving educational quality through the use of distance education.
Each of the 117 topics within the site contains carefully selected
articles and Web links, offering users over 300 references on distance
education. These are organized into four principal reference domains:
teaching and learning, technology, management, and policy and programs.
Global DistEdNet will soon be linked to a network of regional
partners around the world to ensure that it reflects the cultural,
linguistic, and geographic diversity of educational practice on
the planet.
Website address: http://www.worldbank.org/disted
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