Introduction [TJ]

8.2.1 Conceptualisation and Launching of the Project

SchoolNet Uganda is an outgrowth of what was originally the WorLD Links for Development (WorLD) program²⁹⁸ in Uganda - Uganda was the first pilot country. The effort began in 1996 with the School to School Initiative (STSI), a program that focused primarily on helping students develop basic computer skills and to communicate via the Internet. Under the pilot, three senior secondary schools in Kampala (about 930 students) received the necessary hardware and software for training and establishing connections. These schools were Gayaza High School, Namilyango College and Mengo Senior Secondary School.²⁹⁹ All these schools are sited within a ten to fifteen-kilometre radius of Kampala and they were chosen in accordance with the following criteria:

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  Existence of telecommunications infrastructure;
  
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  Existence of a burglar proofed room;
  
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  Opportunity for long term self sustainability;
  
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  Interest of the local community; and
  
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  The capacity to innovate.
  

In 1998 the program expanded to ten schools and trained 55 teachers and administrators. Attempts were made to engage in collaborative distance learning activities with US schools, but none were fully realised. At the time of the evaluation study in December 2000 the WorLD Program was being implemented in 20 schools, all with varying levels of connectivity and equipment. Ten other schools are in the pipeline.

WorLD has combined efforts with I*EARN and Schools Online USA to form an Alliance for Global Learning. In this Alliance, Schools Online USA provides the equipment, WorLD provides staff development expertise and training materials and I*EARN provides collaborative project opportunities. SchoolNet Uganda is currently implementing the program of the Alliance for Global Learning in secondary schools in Uganda.
SchoolNet Uganda is currently engaged in laying the ground for the piloting of very small aperture terminals (VSATs) in ten rural areas in Uganda. It is also organising training programs and workshops for professional development of teachers in the use of computers. The training is organised in phases where at least two teachers and the head teacher from each of the participating schools are encouraged to participate. According to the National Coordinator, to date approximately 120 teachers and administrators have gone through the first two phases of this training.

8.2.2 Project Objectives

The purpose of SchoolNet Uganda is to promote and support the development of educational Internet in Ugandan schools. Its aims are to:

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  Coordinate the use of information technology in schools;
  
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  Consolidate and share the experiences of the use of ICTs in education for the benefit of other schools;
  
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  Support educators and learners through:
  
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    Provision of leadership, expertise and resources
    
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    Development of effective partnerships in the areas of Internet connectivity and appropriate technology
    
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    Development of online electronic content, teaching and learning resources
    
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    Human resource development and capacity building and
    
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    Advocacy for ICTs in schools.
    

8.2.3 Beneficiaries

The listed members of SchoolNet Uganda, in total fourteen schools, are Mengo Senior School, Iganga Secondary School, Gayaza High School, Busoga College Mwiri, Namilyango College, Bukoyo Secondary School, Kings College Budo, Kitante Hill School, Nabisunsa Girls School, Kibuli Secondary School, Lubiri Secondary School, Makerere College School, St James Secondary School and Bombo Secondary School.

8.2.4 Institutional Structures and Staffing

SchoolNet Uganda was launched as an NGO in 1999. The proposal to establish this NGO arose from the experiences and needs assessed by the WorLD Program in providing Internet access to secondary schools in Uganda.
SchoolNet Uganda is not yet fully functional as an organisation in that its constitution has not yet been operationalised. No annual general meeting has been convened since it was launched and as a result the organisation has no executive body. The member schools have not yet started paying their annual subscriptions as stipulated in the constitution. As a result SchoolNet Uganda currently relies entirely on donor funding. It has a secretariat funded by the Alliance for Global Learning. This funding pays for two members of staff - the National Coordinator and the Technical Coordinator.

8.2.5 Monitoring and Evaluation - the WorLD Project Evaluations

The WorLD Program has conducted two evaluations of its projects in Uganda. In the last evaluation conducted in 2000, the student : computer ratio in Ugandan WorLD schools was 70:1 which was below the average ratios in Africa and in other WorLD Program countries.
The report observed that Ugandan schools were above the African and WorLD averages in the following areas:

Teachers and students in Uganda spent more time using ICT in schools;

Ugandan students use ICT in complex and sophisticated ways with greater frequency. ICT use was however concentrated in subjects such as computer science and word processing;

Schools in Uganda frequently used instructional practices that encouraged student autonomy;

Ugandan students were also reported to be participating in learning activities that exposed them to subject matter content and that promoted interaction between students and teachers; and

Ugandan students exhibited higher levels of collaboration.

Areas where Ugandan schools scored lower than the African and WorLD averages are the following:

Although training workshops were provided for teachers and administrators primarily by World Bank staff, the variety of training support received by the teachers however was low;

Informal teacher-to-teacher training was reported to be occurring in the schools, but fewer than 25% of the teachers reporting that they had received informal training. The training topics included using hardware, application and Internet software, designing and leading collaborative projects;

A lower percentage of females participated in Uganda WorLD activities;

Technology skills and attitudes had increased significantly because of the WorLD Program but were still low;

Communication and information reasoning skills were also influenced by the WorLD Program but were lower than average; and

Most students in Uganda were reported to exhibit some awareness and improved attitudes toward different cultures.

The students were also reported to display high levels of positive attitudes toward schooling. The major barriers to implementation highlighted in the report included hardware/software deficiencies, infrastructure/connectivity problems, the lack of a national policy on computer use and the lack of time in the school schedule.
8.3 The Research Process in Uganda

The evaluation study in Uganda focused primarily on SchoolNet Uganda’s activities and addressed itself to Research Questions #3 and #4 as outlined in Chapter 2:

What are the common themes, trends and lessons emerging from school networking that can guide future SchoolNet projects and evaluation activities?

What areas require further investigation and what evaluation agenda is proposed for the subsequent phases of IDRC’s evaluation and research?

Since previous evaluations had already been undertaken by WorLD, the present study focuses particularly on the users of ICTs in the school environment. It does not cover in any detail the aspects of project planning and implementation, institutional mechanisms and management structures.