UNESCO is working with WorldSpace Corporation, the operator of the Afristar satellite for digital radio broadcasting in Africa, to demonstrate and test the potential of digital radio to deliver low budget, effective, multimedia based and real time distance education to rural learners in Africa. The project involves a short course in on Community Telecentre Development aimed at African telecentre staff, NGOs and decision makers working in the area of application of ICTs for development in Africa.

Two categories of learners are participating:

1. UNESCO is sponsoring the participation of three learning centres in each of five African countries (Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) by providing them with digital radios, data interfacing equipment, and technical back up. Each of these learning centres, which have already been chosen, will enable several local learners to participate in the course. At least two of the learning centres in each country will be community telecentres, at least one of which should have Internet connectivity; the third centre may be a telecentre or another type of institution such as a school, or a policy or training group promoting ICTs for development. In each country, a National Coordinator is working to provide back-up support or the three sponsored learning centres and, insofar as possible, to other learning centres who wish to join the course at their own expense.
2. Up to about 30 additional learners in Africa (or in NGOs or development assistance agencies or in Europe, which can receive the AfriStar signal using a special filter) may also participate, provided that they have the necessary equipment and are prepared to participate in the course evaluation. This is the category in which WOUGNET falls. WOUGNET initiated its WorldSpace Satellite Radio Program (WSRP) in August 2002.

Three lecturers located in Africa and Latin America will be giving two lectures each in English, including interactive exchange with the learners, as follows:

1. New technological support, including satellite services, and its impact on sustainability (Lecturer: Mr Klaus Stoll, Chasquinet, Ecuador)
2. Community telecentre organization and outreach, including policy facilitation (Lecturer: Ms Polly Gaster, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique)
3. Educational content and services at the community level (Lecturer: Ms Grace Baguma, National Curriculum Development Centre, Kampala, Uganda)

The course will be given during two days in February 2004 (the first was on 11th and the second is due on the 18th February). Three lessons (one on each topic) were given on the 11th, and the remaining three lessons will be given this week on Wednesday, Feb 18th. Each of the six sessions takes about one hour.

The course is given using the Combined Live Audio and Slide Show (CLASS) technology of WorldSpace Corporation, which is providing its facilities to UNESCO free of charge for this pilot activity. In order to participate, a learning centre requires a personal computer running under Windows with the CLASS system installed, a WorldSpace digital radio receiver and a digital data interface for data transmission from the radio to the computer (alternatively, there is the possibility of a PC card which functions as a radio with integrated digital interface).

Setup of PC and WorldSpace equipment at WOUGNET

The lecturers prepare presentations with standard slideshow software (e.g. PowerPoint), which is converted to CLASS format and pre-transmitted by satellite to the learning centres. During the course, the presentations are in the form of audio lecture combined with a slide show. In each centre there are one or several learners operating a single computer receiving the WorldSpace Afristar satellite signal, or several learners operating workstations linked to the receiving computer by local area network. For those learners with Internet connectivity, a return channel chat enables them to ask questions to the lecturer or send remarks to all of the participants. Whether or not the learner is connected to the Internet, the lecturer's replies and the learners chat remarks will be received by satellite by all learners.

The five centres in Uganda are:

1. SchoolNet Uganda Centre
2. National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC)
3. Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
4. Wanyange Girls Secondary School
5. Nakaseke Multi-Purpose Telecentre

Only NCDC, WOUGNET and Wanyange were able to participate in the February 11th session. SchoolNet Uganda was off because the radio for center was being used at the NCDC. NCDC got a problem with their radio. The Nakaseke center was off because of power problems.

You are all welcome to be a part of the February 18th sessions at the centre nearest to you. However, for those in and around Kampala, I’d recommend visiting the NCDC as they have a large lab were the equipment has been setup. If you are interested in having a look at the equipment setup or participating at the WOUGNET office, my contacts are provided below.

For details of the next session timetable and/or directions to the various centres, please contact directly the National Coordinator for the project at the address below:
Mr. Daniel Kakinda
Executive Director
SchoolNet Uganda
E-Mail: dkakinda@yahoo.com
Mobile: 077 820 167


Report prepared by:
Milton Aineruhanga
WOUGNET Program Officer
email: info@wougnet.org
tel: (041) 256832 / (077) 411556

Last update: February-17, 2004