E-learning experts in Tanzania call for cheaper bandwidth

Technological solutions have the capacity to deliver conveniently, cost effectively, flexible and non-interferingly educational content to learners of all ages. This was said by Finehasi Lema, the Director of Infocom Technologies that are the managers for the now becoming popular ´Elimu Imara’. This technology is fondly referred to as E-learning, which is the delivery of educational content through the digital arteries of the internet.

Mr Lema said this while making a presentation on E-learning at the Sharing With Other People Network (SWOPNet) monthly meeting last month at the Global Development Learning Center. Lema said there are many discrepancies in the education sector in Tanzania that affect the quality of education but which could be overcome by use of appropriate technology. Lema identified the problematic areas to include planning, curriculum unification, standardization, inadequacy in teaching materials and distribution of teachers.

He said E-learning can offer solutions to these problems but requires favourable policies, change of attitude by learners and the job market. “For E-learning to be effective, we need better infrastructure including availability of bandwidth and electricity up to the rural areas. This is a task that the Government needs to address,” Lema said. “Then there must be acceptability, there is need to realise that the certification of online courses is just as good as the others and that students who sit for online courses are not lesser qualified,” he continued.

The meeting was told that there is currently a low uptake of E-learning courses, mainly due to poor infrastructure and the high cost of bandwidth. Most E-learning providers use satellite to deliver content, an expensive resource. “Bandwidth will always be expensive if we depend on satellite,” said one delegate. “The Government needs to look at ways of connecting the country to the internet through alternative technologies such as submarine fibre, only then can E-learning and other bandwidth hungry applications can be affordable” he continued.

According to Lema, most of the E-learning subscribers are from rural areas, a tendency he attributes to the lack of or poorly developed further education facilities in the rural areas. He says with E-learning geographical accessibility and volume of students become non-issues.

For more information on SWOPNet please visit: www.swopnet.or.tz