Childnet Supports the Schoolnet Africa Workshop July 2000

How can schools in Africa work together to bridge the digital divide? SchoolNet Africa is a new project to encourage debate and action on this topic. This network brings together educators from all over the continent to discuss and develop projects to spread the use of information technologies in schools.

Over 100 delegates representing 20 countries across Africa met last week in Okahandja, Namibia for a major four day workshop to plan for the establishment of SchoolNet Africa (www.schoolnetafrica.org/) a framework to support national school networking initiatives in Africa and see the establishment of School Networks in half of all African countries by 2005 and to see all schools in Africa connected by 2020.

At the workshop those involved in developing individual national school networks were able to share their experiences of using ICTs in the classroom as well as share the challenges and lessons learnt in extending sustainable access. Participants involved in this sharing came from Anglophone, Francophone, Lusophone, and Arabic countries across Africa.

Stephen Carrick-Davies from Childnet International who attended the conference writes "Some of the most creative and innovative school networking programmes are taking place in Africa at the moment and we in Europe would do well to learn from, link up and support the efforts of Schoolnet Africa, indeed every year there have been African winners in our Global Childnet Awards program. To see the energy and vision of those who are using the Internet creatively and are having to overcome enormous barriers is truly inspiring".

Innovative African School Networking projects include the insect@thon project devised by Schoolnet Namibia see http://www.natmus.cul.na/insectathon.html, the RITSEC project in Africa - see http://www.horus.ics.org.eg/ and the Schoolnet Zimbabwe project which has recently launched a mobile Internet resource called "Big Blue".

The SchoolNet Africa workshop concluded with an agreement to select a steering committee, devise a timetable and revise the draft business plan (see http://www.schoolnetafrica.org/docs/documentation.htm) and appoint a co-ordinator who would continue to consult with School Networks, donors, Governments and the private sector. The business plan will be tabled a the Post African Development Forum (ADF) Summit of African Ministers which is being organised by the UN Economic Commission for Africa.

For further information on SchoolNet Africa contact Claire Sibthorpe CSibthorpe@idrc.org.za who works for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) one of the key sponsoring agencies for Africa SchoolNet.

Contact For further information about Childnet see www.childnet-int.org or e-mail info@childnet-int.org.

(Childnet International is a registered charity no 1053193)