WHO SHOULD TAKE THE TASK OF
ENFORCING eLEARNING IN ZAMBIA?
In the wake
of scarce resources to cater for all sectors of national
needs in Zambia, entrenching eLearning as a medium of
attaining education and training will not be successful
without a high level involvement of government with support
from all sectors of industry and society. All the three main
pillars of governance and information management including
government, industry, and society need to play a part in
order for Zambia to score a success in the education and
training sector, under the current circumstances.
In addition
to the usual investment government makes in the physical
institutions, there is need for government to mount
investment in virtual institutions because of the
several fold access to education and training that these
offer to a greater the larger public at all levels of
learning needs. African governments and inter-governmental
institutions such as NEPAD are increasingly viewing ICTs as
a cross sectoral accelerator for development, be it for
public services, health, or education. Countries that have
embraced ICTs, have embarked on ambitious infrastructure
endeavors and accompanying capacity building programmes.
Schools and universities are being networked and pilots
become a reality.
Industry,
on the other hand, ordinarily participates in training
programmes internally and externally, to address short- and
long-term manpower requirements. In a number of cases,
employees have to leave work places for long periods of
time, thus affecting productivity. eLearning offers
opportunities to achieve training requirements to employees
without them leaving work places. Furthermore, a greater
number of employees can take part in the training at
competitive costs. An increasing number of corporate
institutions and small enterprises are therefore
increasingly investing in eLearning infrastructure to
improve knowledge and skills for enhanced productivity.
The public
in general, through initiatives ranging from individual
through to community and NGOs levels, are making significant
progress in exposing people to internet. Most exposure at
present is however limited to emailing and general internet
browsing. These make significant entry avenues towards
embracing eLearning in Zambia.
It is clear
therefore that we all have a role to play in making
eLearning in Zambia a reality, and the need for
public-private-partnerships (PPPs) is crucial here.
