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Implementation of the NEPAD e-Schools Demo Project in the first
schools is expected to be completed in June and in all participating
schools by October 2005, according to a report presented to the recent
Summit of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee
in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
This is seen as a critical initial step in the implementation of the
NEPAD e-Schools Initiative and is intended to provide a learning mechanism
across the African continent for the rollout of the broader
Initiative.
The Demo is being undertaken in all countries that make up phase-one of
the NEPAD e-Schools Initiative -- the first 20 countries that have acceded
to the African Peer Review Mechanism.
It will establish and monitor six NEPAD e-Schools in each of the
participating countries and is expected to directly impact approximately
150 000 African learners and teachers.
The following 16 countries have already selected participating
schools:
Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho,
Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and
Uganda.
While a number of individuals and organisations play a critical role in
the implementation of the Demo, the following are the key partners and
represent the mechanism through which other entities participate:
- NEPAD e-Africa Commission
- Participating Country Governments
- Participating Schools
- ISPAD-led Consortiums
ISPAD – the Information Society Partnership for Africa’s
Development -- is a partnership framework of the NEPAD e-Africa
Commission. So far 13 private sector organisations are members of ISPAD.
The following ISPAD members have each agreed to assemble and
lead its own consortium and to provide an end-to-end technology solution
for the NEPAD e-Schools Demo:
- HP (Hewlett-Packard)~ZTE
- Microsoft
- Inmarsat
- Oracle
- Cisco
Structures in place for managing the implementation of the NEPAD
e-Schools Demo include:
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The NEPAD e-Schools Demo Office within the e-Africa Commission
provides the base for coordination and implementation activities.
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The NEPAD e-Schools Coordinating Body, comprising nominated
government representatives of all phase-one countries, plays the role of
approving strategies, frameworks and work-plans necessary for
continental coordination.
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A NEPAD e-Schools national implementing team is responsible for
in-country planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation
activities. Each participating country has appointed a member of the
national implementation team as a Country Liaison Person, who is the
focal point for the project management activities.
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Each ISPAD Consortium has appointed a Relationship Manager, who
represents the ISPAD Consortium and acts as the interface between the
ISPAD Consortium and the other key partners.
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Each participating school will appoint an ICT Coordinator who will be
responsible for assisting with implementation at the school, as well as
ensuring the long-term appropriate usage of ICTs in the school
environment.
Since the NEPAD e-Schools Demo is essentially a learning exercise for
the rollout of the broader NEPAD e-Schools Initiative it encompasses a
comprehensive monitoring and evaluation component.
The monitoring and evaluation plan makes provision for quantitative and
qualitative data collection via questionnaires, focus groups, project
reports, interviews and teacher logs, from a variety of sources including
government departments, school principals, teachers, students, and the
project team.
The plan will report on the extent to which the Demo achieved the
objectives of NEPAD e-Schools, as well as the effectiveness of the
implementation process.
At the second meeting of the NEPAD e-Schools Coordinating
Body, held in Pretoria on 24-26 January 2005, it was agreed that during
the Demo phase one NEPAD e-School per participating country should be
launched at an event attended by the respective Head of State. The first
launches are being planned for June 2005.
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