Opportunities for Distance Education in the Commonwealth African Countries.

The geo-demographic, economic, and infrastructural makeup of 12 African countries (Botswana. Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) were compared to determine the potential benefits to them of a Commonwealth of Learning (COL) distance education initiative. Data were collected on six criteria regarding suitability for such initiatives: developmental need, geographic and demographic features, government priorities, infrastructure, existing experience, and human resource development. Data were incorporated into a multiattribute model that ranked countries by relevant indicators. Seven countries with a television/radio network and/or rural telecommunications infrastructure appropriate for cost-effective implementation of distance education were strong possibilities for COL: Nigeria, Kenya, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi, but not Gambia, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda. Countries offering the best opportunities for human resource development projects in the broadcasting sector were Gambia, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zambia. The African regional networks were not conducive to use of distance education techniques between countries. (Appendixes, which represent the bulk of the report, include country summaries, multi-attribute comparison model, annotated list of existing correspondence and distance education programs, summary of country comparative analysis, outline maps of national and international earth stations, statistical data, and list of telecommunications and broadcast administrations with addresses.) (YLB)

an: ED347315; docTypes: Reports - Research; pubTypes: Report;