Introduction [TJ]

8.4.2 Partnerships

The educators indicated that both parents and other community members were involved in the ICT development in their schools.


Figure 8.1 Community and Parental Involvement

in ICT Development in Schools

8.4.3 Connectivity and Access

Telecommunications

One of the criteria for selection of schools to participate in the WorLD Program was the existence of telecommunications infrastructure within the school. The WorLD Program provided e-mail and Internet to schools through the purchase of Internet services from ISPs, and the contracting of local firms to provide ongoing support. According to the National Coordinator of SchoolNet Uganda, initially most schools did not have the financial resources or the expertise needed to enter into these negotiations and to make appropriate choices. The Technical Coordinator of SchoolNet reported that out of the twenty schools participating in the WorLD Program, six were now using spread spectrum wireless connectivity. Four of the schools were using dial-up cellular (using a mobile phone), six others were using dial-up connection using landlines, and the other four were going to pilot the use of VSATs.

SchoolNet Uganda initially negotiated with a local cellular phone company, CelTel, to provide some free airtime. The company agreed to give one hour of free airtime daily for one year. Two of the schools in the study benefited from this arrangement.
The level of connectivity was found to vary from school to school depending on the communication infrastructure available. Two of the sampled schools in this evaluation study had spread spectrum wireless connectivity, the other two were using dial up cellular and landline connections but had found them to be both unreliable and expensive. The landlines were reported to be unreliable due to traffic congestion and there were frequent communication breakdowns. This was so especially during the rainy seasons and morning hours. The cellular phones on the other hand were said to be very slow and their costs were much higher than those of landlines.
Kings College Budo had suspended its Internet connection for almost a year and was exploring the possibilities of installing a wireless connection. The School Coordinator explained that as a school they were initially happy with their connection using the cellular phone. Although it was slow, they were able for the first time to surf the web, communicate using e-mail, work on collaborative projects and access all types of useful information through the Internet. Unfortunately the bills sent to the schools after a year's connection were very discouraging. The school then changed from cellular to a landline, but the telephone bill became too expensive and they were cut off. At the time of this study the school had not had access to the Internet since January 2000 but it was in the process of installing a wireless connection. It was evident however that within the one year that they were connected they had made several advances, which included:

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  Opening active e-mail addresses for about 350 students and almost all the teachers;
  
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  Providing a forum for students to discover and apply their talents in computer network administration, Web design and general skills through the computer club;
  
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  Carrying out education tele-collaborative projects;
  
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  Students developing authoring capacities by publishing club magazines and the Budonian; and
  
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  The Budo Website was designed and maintained by the students.
  

Nabisunsa Girls School was also on a wireless connection, while Gayaza and Budo were hoping to move in the same direction. SchoolNet Uganda had in the past met 50 percent of the costs for installing wireless connections for some of the schools. The technical coordinator of SchoolNet Uganda revealed however that it was no longer able to meet these costs, so the schools would have to meet the entire costs themselves.

The National and Technical Coordinators of SchoolNet both indicated that SchoolNet was now preparing the ground to pilot VSAT technology in some rural schools. Among the issues that this pilot phase will address are whether VSAT technology is workable within the Uganda context, whether the equipment required is affordable and sustainable, and whether the schools can meet the recurrent costs. SchoolNet Uganda would also like to explore further whether ISPs can be persuaded to give educational rates to schools. For example AFSAT and SANYUTEL now charge US$150 per month for wireless connectivity and some schools such as Makerere College School and Mengo Secondary school are already benefiting from these concessions. SchoolNet Uganda was also exploring with the private sector the possibilities of assisting with some of the connectivity issues.

During the interviews with head-teachers and teachers it was observed that, although Internet services were a valuable resource, the integration of ICTs in education was a very expensive venture. Equipment maintenance arrangements and plans to ensure sustainability were issues for the four surveyed schools. While the initial equipment for most of the schools was supplied free of charge by the WorLD Links program, some of the computers had since broken down, some had to be repaired and others had to be replaced. All of the four schools had developed contingency plans for replacing the old computers with new ones and for increasing the number of computers available in the school.
The costs of connectivity have also been prohibitive and frustrating for some schools. The four schools sampled in the study recognised that they were responsible as schools for the management and sustainability of their computer labs and for the purchase of software, teaching and learning materials. All the schools, with the exception of one, levied some amount of money (ranging from 10 000 to 20 000 shillings) each term from each student, which went towards these costs. The target for three of the schools was to be able to buy at least one computer a term, but this was not always possible.

Those schools on wireless connection, such as Namilyango and Nabisunsa, explained that they could now afford to pay for connectivity, which came to about US$150 a month. This they explained was more manageable as compared to the dial up system. Three of the schools were also raising extra revenue through the training of people from the surrounding communities, but their charges remained minimal, as they perceived this training as a community service more than as a fund raising activity. The money generated from these kinds of initiatives went towards maintenance and repair costs.

Access to Computers

The computer resources available in the four schools were also assessed. Figure 8.2 shows the number of computers in use in the four schools.

Figure 8.2 Number of Computers in Use in SchoolNet Uganda Schools

Educators and learners were also asked how equipped their schools were in terms of computers. 74% believed their laboratories were well equipped. Learners’ perceptions confirmed that they perceived their facilities as well equipped (65% stated it was well equipped, as compared to 21% that it was very well-equipped, and 14% that it was not well-equipped). These perceptions however need to be understood in a context where the schools were moving from a position of having had no computers at all to a position of having access to some computers within the school.

All four schools had bought additional computers, adding to those donated by the WorLD Program, an indication that they had appreciated the value of access to computers. Two of the schools then had between 16 - 20 computers, while another school had more than 21 computers. All these schools had a budget line for the purchase of at least one computer per term and for the maintenance of these computers.

While two thirds of the students indicated that there was no computer that they could use within walking distance of their home, 75% indicated that there was a computer that they could use within 5 to 10 minutes walking distance of their classroom, an indication that computers were more accessible to most of them at school than at home. Slightly more than half of the learners indicated that they used the computer more than once a week.

While none of the schools had a computer in the classroom, all the teachers indicated that they had access to a computer within walking distance of their homes. When asked where this computer was located they all indicated within the school. This is not very surprising given that these were all boarding schools and the majority of educators resided within the school compound. Educators ranked in order of importance three important uses of the computers at school: Learning tasks followed by the preparation of tests, and then e-mail.