...building
capacity for the delivery of qualitative basic and higher education in Africa.
The
Need
The low
rating of sub-Saharan Africa o
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Programmes
for Institute in 2004
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HIV/AIDS EDUCATION
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MARCH
1
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MODERN METHODS OF TEACHING &
LEARNING
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MAY
1
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DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIALS FOR OPEN &
DISTANCE LEARNING
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JULY
1
|
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WRITING GRANT WINNING PROPOSALS
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SEPT
1
|
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ENTREPRENUERIAL EDUCATION
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NOV
1
|
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ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(FUNDRAISING)
|
DEC
1
|
|
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n several indicators
of basic and higher education especially in such areas as access, gender equity,
inclusion, quality and achievement has been of particular concern in the last
thirteen years (since the Jomtien conference of 1990). These concerns have
translated into Plans of Action for redress by the Conference of African
Ministers of Education (MINEDAF), the African Union (AU)-formerly Organisation
of African Unity Decade of Education for Africa, and the New Partnerships for
Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Strategies for fast-tracking the attainment of
the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in Africa are being laid out by the AU,
MINEDAF and NEPAD.
A core component of these Plans of Action and strategies is capacity building in
the form of equipping/strengthening key operators and implementers with the
requisite knowledge, skills and attitudes to bring about positive change, This
is premised on the age-long assumption that the human element including teachers
and managers is the most important determinant of success in the
teaching-learning enterprise. In other words, if Africa is to improve its
standing in basic and higher education indicators and the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals, attention must turn to improving the capacity of
its teachers and educational managers to deliver good quality basic and higher
education.
Needs assessment surveys conducted over the last eight years by the Higher
Education Unit of UNESCO-BREDA, the Nigerian National Universities Commission
and UNESCO Harare Cluster Office have revealed that capacity needs to be built
in the following areas in sub-Saharan Africa, among others:
•HIV/AIDS Education for Primary Education Teacher Trainers and Higher
Education Staff and Students
•Development of materials for open and distance learning
•Modern methods of teaching and learning (pedagogy)
•Modern Research Skills for higher education teachers
•Modern methods of educational institution administration and management
Capacity building through training is traditionally known to take the form of
face-to-face interactions. With the advent of the new information and
communications technology (NICT), this mode is being complemented by
Internet-based training. Recent research findings have converged to attest to
the greater potency, larger reach and cheaper cost of Internet-based virtual
training institutes over the traditional face-to-face interactions. Although
Africa is also lowly rated in the use of these technologies, the use of the new
technologies (Internet-based) for training will help to reach a wider audience,
stimulate interest of Africans in the use of the NICTs and also enhance
investment by governments and the private sector in the region in the NICTs. In
turn, these efforts will translate into hiking the standing of Africa in the
availability and use of NICTs in the very near future.
What
is a Virtual Institute?
A
“virtual institute” is a training site where participants, though not
physically present in a brick and mortar physical space, are able to update
their knowledge and skills on a subject matter using Internet protocols as
platform. The word “institute” is not used in its formal sense as an
establishment with physical classrooms, laboratories, workshops and staff
offices, and an all-year-round holding of staff. It is used in the sense of an
ad-hoc setup for the purpose of education and training.
Objectives
of the Institute
To
build/strengthen the capacity of teachers and other personnel in educational
institutions in sub-Saharan Africa in critical areas of national and regional
needs as identified through the machineries of AU, MINEDAF and NEPAD;
To provide Internet-based training on HIV/AIDS Education for teachers at
the primary, secondary and higher education levels in Africa;
To provide Internet-based training on the development of materials for
open and distance learning;
To enhance the knowledge and skills of academic staff in institutions of
higher learning on such issues as (a) teaching of large classes; (b) effective
utilisation of (meagre) resources; (c) modern methods of assessment and
evaluation of students’ performance; (d) basic guidance and counselling
techniques; (e) basic skills of curriculum development: and (f) techniques for
writing winning grant proposals.
To share experiences among staff in institutions of higher learning and
within the context of the World Conference on Higher Education (WCHE) and the
African Network for Innovations in Higher Education (ANIHE) on best practices in
higher education teaching.
Eligibility
for Enrolment
All staff
of educational institutions in sub-Saharan Africa including primary, secondary,
universities, polytechnics/technikons, colleges of education are eligible to
participate in the training programmes.
Cost of Participation
Registration is FREE. All registered participants should have Internet
access to be able to benefit fully from the training programmes.
Coordinators
Prof.
Juma Shabani, Director and Representative, UNESCO Harare Cluster Office and
Prof.
Peter Okebukola, Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Nigeria