[kictanet] Fw: RE: One subject, varying quality - We lack an accreditation system for ICT courses

[Mwololo Tim]

Dr. Ndemo,

I hear you loud and clear. I know the debate can be quite heated for many
reasons. It would be nice to have the procurement rules and any other
instrument of government to be silent on this issue. I only wish the people
were neutral!

Sang has a very important point, which may need a guided discussion.

Mwololo


On 7/1/09, bitange at jambo.co.ke <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
>
> Prof. Waema,
> A good policy levels the play ground.  What each party (Proprietary or
> OSS) does should not concern policy.  That is why we need the procurement
> rules change to give everybody an equal chance.
>
>
> Ndemo.
>
>
>
>
>
> > Bwana Sang,
> >
> > You have a point. We do not have strong OSS champions, especially in the
> > public sector - at least not as powerful as the evangilists for
> > proprietary
> > software. This situation is not helped by a non-committal policy. Let me
> > chew over how we can change things.
> >
> > Mwololo
> >
> >
> > On 6/30/09, Barnabas K. Sang <bksang at education.go.ke> wrote:
> >>
> >>  Tim,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I agree with you to some extent, that we all need revision of the
> >> current
> >> ICT Policy to accommodate the key issues Kenya currently is focusing on.
> >> On
> >> OSS, I still doubt capacity of “*OSS Champions*” on the issue having
> >> observed in the past one year, how an opportunity to have 210 secondary
> >> schools each equipped with 25 PCs and use both proprietary software and
> >> OSS
> >> (Funds provided for) progressed.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> To date, no OSS proponents have brought any concept on how MOE can
> >> facilitate the adoption and use of OSS. There are some brilliant OSS
> >> solutions, particularly supporting teaching and learning (animated
> >> content
> >> -> good for illustrations of difficult concepts in some subjects) and
> >> development of content for use by all education and training
> >> stakeholders
> >> (teachers, students, parents and researchers).
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I would like to acknowledge existence of sufficient leadership (policy
> >> and
> >> managers) to support modernization of education (ICT integration to
> >> teaching
> >> and learning). We may not have all necessary capacity yet for
> >> decision-makers to guide the process, but in partnership with all
> >> stakeholders, I believe OSS will definitely find a niche in the whole
> >> ICT
> >> integration exercise being spearheaded by MOE. Perhaps people like
> >> yourself
> >> and others in this network, could enlightened us on how OSS could be
> >> part of
> >> ICT integration efforts at an early stage as possible.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Kind Regards
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> B. K. Sang
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> *From:*
> >> kictanet-bounces+bksang=education.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke[mailto:
> >> kictanet-bounces+bksang <kictanet-bounces%2Bbksang>=education.go.ke@
> >> lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of *Mwololo Tim
> >> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 30, 2009 8:02 AM
> >> *To:* Barnabas K. Sang
> >> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> >> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Fw: RE: One subject, varying quality - We lack
> >> an accreditation system for ICT courses
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Listers,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Our 2006 national ICT policy is silent on open source software (OSS). As
> >> we
> >> think of a review of this policy, which according to me is due due to a
> >> number of issues (Vision 2030, BPO, and many other developments), we
> >> should
> >> think seriously about a section on OSS policy.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> tim mwololo
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 6/29/09, *Evans Ikua* <ikua at lpakenya.org> wrote:
> >>
> >> There is also Camara Kenya (the local office of camara.ie) that has
> done
> >> tremendous work in the area of putting hardware in schools, both Primary
> >> and
> >> Secondary, installing open source software, supporting them, and
> >> training
> >> the teachers. This in a short period of time.
> >>
> >> Their work has mainly been in the coast region but they are also getting
> >> into the hinterland. They have about 150 volunteers from Ireland who
> >> have
> >> just come in and they will conduct trainings for about a month.
> >>
> >> They have equipped schools in the whole of Lamu island, and many schools
> >> at
> >> the coast.
> >>
> >> They are achieving much more by using FOSS as a computer installed with
> >> Linux gives much more to a student as opposed to one installed with
> >> Windows.
> >> Because they are not spending a penny on software licenses, they are
> >> able to
> >> supply like twice the number of PCs than if they were to have the
> >> schools
> >> buy licenses.
> >>
> >> Ikua
> >>
> >> --
> >> Evans Ikua
> >> Linux Professional Association of Kenya
> >> Tel: +254-20-2250381, Cell: +254-722 955 831
> >> Eagle House, 2nd Floor
> >> Kimathi Street, Opp. Corner House
> >> www.lpakenya.org
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Quoting Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com>:
> >>
> >> forwarded--- On Thu, 6/25/09, Emmanuel Khisa
> >> <emmanuel.khisa at kadet.co.ke>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> From: Emmanuel Khisa <emmanuel.khisa at kadet.co.ke>
> >> Subject: RE: [kictanet] One subject,varying quality - We lack an
> >>  accreditation system for  ICT courses
> >> To: "'Walubengo J'" <jwalu at yahoo.com>
> >> Date: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 10:11 AM
> >>
> >> And Project Discovery Kenya has been able to train more that 200 primary
> >> school teachers over the last five years in conjunction with Institute
> >> of
> >> Software technologies...I also know that similar training went on in
> >> Yala
> >> Division last April for Primary school teachers in the division
> >> organised
> >> by
> >> the Computers for Schools.
> >> On the subject of lack of adequate professors, I will leave that to
> >> Academicians and those keen on interrogating academics, I however would
> >> like
> >> the ICT training to move from over concentration with the academics and
> >> more
> >> to the more handson...more like incubator based learning
> >> approach...While
> >> the Far East economies have good universities, they still put more
> >> premium
> >> on handson skills...It is sad that even our graduate engineers let alone
> >> IT
> >> graduates (who by the way take a lot of flack) cannot invent or think
> >> outside the box...I mean no invention ever comes out of these highly
> >> restricted courses yet only a select few universities dare to venture
> >> into...
> >>
> >> The answer in my opinion lies in building skills that are more practical
> >> and
> >> focussed on creating entrepreneural opportunities.
> >>
> >> Rgds,
> >>
> >> Manu
> >>
> >> "New opinions are always suspected and usually opposed, without any
> >> other
> >> reason but because they are not already common."
> >> P Before printing, think about the Environment and your responsibilities
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: kictanet-bounces+emmanuel.khisa=kadet.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> >> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+emmanuel.khisa<kictanet-bounces%2Bemmanuel.khisa>
> <kictanet-bounces%2Bemmanuel.khisa>
> >> =kadet.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
> >> Behalf Of Walubengo J
> >> Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 8:41 AM
> >> To: emmanuel.khisa at kadet.co.ke
> >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] One subject,varying quality - We lack an
> >> accreditation system for ICT courses
> >>
> >>
> >> I agree that something is happening within the High-School teaching
> >> fraternity. Last April, Multimedia University College trained 80 high
> >> school
> >> headteachers from Samburu and I think Transmara Districts, giving them
> >> basic
> >> ICT skills...am aware Strathmore University, IAT etc also do such
> >> trainings
> >> regularly...It may not be enough, but its definitely a good kick in the
> >> right direction.
> >>
> >> As for the University Level IT faculty staff.  Unfortunately the
> >> statistics
> >> are likely to be true.  You can count the number of IT Professors in
> >> this
> >> country on your three fingers ;-)
> >>
> >> walu.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --- On Wed, 6/24/09, Barnabas K. Sang <bksang at education.go.ke> wrote:
> >>
> >> From: Barnabas K. Sang <bksang at education.go.ke>
> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] One subject, varying quality - We lack an
> >>
> >> accreditation system for  ICT courses
> >>
> >> To: jwalu at yahoo.com
> >> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> >> Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 11:32 PM
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Betty,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Thanks for your response on the article
> >> mentioned below. Will go
> >> through it and perhaps respond on key issues raised, which
> >> ICT in Education has
> >> already done or planned. I hope it will minimize fears all
> >> of us have or may be
> >> persuaded to think all is totally misplaced and lost.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> ?ICT Integration? is currently Ministry
> >> of Education focus, and
> >> steps already put in place are expected to make Kenya
> >> improve both teaching and
> >> learning environment, with better education ?products?
> >> across all levels.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Kind regards
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> B. K. Sang
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> From:
> >> kictanet-bounces+bksang=education.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> >> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+bksang <kictanet-bounces%2Bbksang><kictanet-bounces%2Bbksang>=
> >> education.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke]
> >> On
> >> Behalf Of Betty Ogange
> >>
> >> Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 4:31 PM
> >>
> >> To: Barnabas K. Sang
> >>
> >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> >>
> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] One subject, varying quality
> >> - We lack an
> >> accreditation system for ICT courses
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    Hallo David,
> >>    Last week there was furore in this forum
> >> about media
> >>    misrepresentation of the Kenyan situation. The article
> >> that you make
> >>    reference to in today?s Standard (24.06.09) may be
> >> accurate in the areas that
> >>    you have highlighted. However, I wish to take issue with
> >> a few points raised
> >>    in the article.
> >>
> >>
> http://www.eastandard.net/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144017693&cid=316
> >>
> >>
> >>     ?Unlike other academic fields, very
> >> little has been done
> >>    to train most teachers in ICT skills. Currently, no
> >> primary teacher training
> >>    college offers comprehensive pre-service training in
> >> information technology.?
> >>
> >>    Anyone with a modest interest in education in
> >> Kenya would not
> >>    miss something as obvious as a subject in the national
> >> curriculum when reporting
> >>    in a national daily. Prior to the year 2004, a few
> >> colleges had ICT skills
> >>    courses for pre-service teachers based on in-house
> >> curricula that were
> >>    independently developed by each college. The Primary
> >> Teacher Education (PTE)
> >>    ICT curriculum developed by the Kenya Institute of
> >> Education has been in
> >>    force since the year 2004 and ICT is taught as a
> >> compulsory subject in all
> >>    primary teacher training colleges.  It is examined
> >> internally at the end of
> >>    the first year and all students must pass in the subject,
> >> among other
> >>    subjects, in order to proceed to second year. There are
> >> several
> >>    implementation hitches in this programme arising from the
> >> fact that ICT is
> >>    being taught as a discrete subject in the curriculum and
> >> has yet to be
> >>    mainstreamed in the other subjects in the PTE curriculum.
> >> The debate around
> >>    ICT- pedagogy integration in education and how to
> >> operationalise it right
> >>    from curriculum development to classroom level
> >> implementation continues in
> >>    the education circles.
> >>
> >>     ?In-service training is often
> >> provided by trainers who
> >>    are just barely literate in
> >> computers?
> >>
> >>    In my knowledge, this has happened especially
> >> in instances when
> >>    some hardware providers ?dangle? teacher training as
> >> an additional offer to
> >>    the institution. TTCs used to hire ICT technicians to
> >> teach the course, but
> >>    in the last 2 years, the Teacher Service Commission has
> >> posted trained
> >>    lecturers of ICT to a number of TTCs. There have also
> >> been some highly
> >>    professional training offered to college lecturers by
> >> Microsoft (in
> >>    conjunction with the Institute of Advanced Technology -
> >> IAT) and the Kenya
> >>    Technical Teachers College. Computers for Schools Kenya
> >> and the Nepad
> >>    e-schools teacher training programmes have also reached
> >> teachers in selected
> >>    secondary schools. Lack of co-ordination (as with the
> >> rest of the ICT
> >>    initiatives in Kenya ), lack of clear training targets
> >> and time-lines have
> >>    compromised continuity and impact of some of these
> >> training programmes.
> >>
> >>    ?The
> >> entire ICT education is in tatters?
> >>    An interesting analogy there. But I see a
> >> sector that is struggling
> >>    with what some scholars in educational reform have called
> >> an ?implementation
> >>    dip? ? that for a number of reasons things normally
> >> tend to get worse before
> >>    they can get better.  There are lots of difficulties in
> >> implementing large
> >>    scale ICT initiatives in the education sector world over.
> >> In our country,
> >>    there have been positive efforts by the Ministry of
> >> Education, the KIE and a
> >>    number of stakeholders in education, and these do count.
> >> On the other hand,
> >>    there has been the tendency (by education leaders)
> >> towards elaborate policy
> >>    documents, ?ICT networks? and trust funds whose
> >> mandates remain
> >>    indeterminate. All these need to be researched and
> >> accurately presented.
> >>
> >>    Accurate reporting by the media and objective
> >> analysis of both
> >>    the positives and difficulties are important in helping
> >> the public target
> >>    their attention and effort. Besides the inaccuracies, the
> >> use of expressions
> >>    such as ?in tatters? ?the situation is bad?,
> >> ?alarmed professionals?
> >>    ?obsolete hardware? to describe ICT in education in
> >> Kenya sounds to me fairly
> >>    sensational.
> >>
> >>    Betty
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    --- On Wed, 6/24/09, David Otwoma
> >> <otwomad at gmail.com>
> >>    wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>    From: David Otwoma <otwomad at gmail.com>
> >>
> >>    Subject: [kictanet] One subject, varying quality - We
> >> lack an accreditation
> >>    system for ICT courses
> >>
> >>    To: ogange at yahoo.com
> >>
> >>    Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"
> >>    <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> >>
> >>    Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 9:32 AM
> >>
> >>
> >>    .....universities
> >>    offer many degrees but their quality and market demand
> >> differ......
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    Although
> >>    nearly all universities offer degrees, only the
> >> University of Nairobi, Jomo
> >>    Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and
> >> Strathmore have
> >>    Master?s programmes and only UON and Jkuat teach at
> >> doctoral level.
> >>
> >>
> >>    There
> >>    is a diminishing number of staff with PhDs in ICT
> >> departments. According to
> >>    Prof Rodrigues, UoN has the highest number of full-time
> >> lecturers with PhDs
> >>    in ICT that stands at eight of 18, while Jkuat has three
> >> of six, which is the
> >>    same number for Strathmore.
> >>
> >>
> >>    Kenyatta
> >>    University has nine full-time but none of them have a PhD
> >> or an equivalent
> >>    qualification, while none of the Kabarak?s eight
> >> lecturers have a PhD. Two of
> >>    six of United States International University has
> >> doctoral degrees.
> >>
> >>
> >>    Many
> >>    lecturers have no experience as ICT professionals as
> >> engineers, software
> >>    developers or in the emerging area of computer and
> >> network security.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    See
> >>
> >>
> http://www.eastandard.net/education/InsidePage.php?id=1144017693&cid=316&
> >>
> >>    for full story
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>    --
> >>
> >>    David Otwoma,
> >>
> >>    Chief Science Secretary,
> >>
> >>    National Council for Science and Technology,
> >>
> >>    Utalii House 9th Floor,
> >>
> >>    Mobile tel: +254 722 141771,
> >>
> >>    Office tel: +254 (0)20 2346915,
> >>
> >>    P. O. Box 5687 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
> >>
> >>    email: otwomad at gmail.com & otwoma at ncst.go.ke
> >>
> >>    www.ncst.go.ke
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
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