WOMEN AND ICT IN OPEN SCHOOLS

OPEN SCHOOL LEADERS MET IN VANCOUVER TO EXPLORE EFFECTIVE USE OF ICT

A COL workshop in November 2008 provided female leaders of open schools with skills and information about using information and communication technology (ICT) more effectively. Open school administrators from 11 developing countries attended the week-long meeting in Vancouver, Canada, which featured presentations, discussions and site visits to educational institutions.

“As a former open school manager, I know how important it is to understand and use the full potential of ICT,” said Mrs. Frances Ferreira, COL Education Specialist, Basic Education and Open Schooling. “In addition to making them more efficient, knowledge about ICT enables managers to advise their staff, make informed decisions and know what to ask for.”

The meeting addressed the question: How can ICT enhance the position of women in leadership roles in open schools? While some participants previously thought of technology as a burden, they learned how it can make their life easier. Although many open schools still rely primarily on print-based learning materials, ICT can be used to support learners, streamline administration and enhance communication among staff.

One of the highlights of the workshop was a series of presentations from COL staff members who shared stories about how ICT enhance their capacity. Programme Assistant Ms. Ruvani Ameresekere explained how her technology skills were largely self-taught before she earned a two-year Diploma in Information Technology. She urged workshop participants to not let anything – including technology – stand in the way of achieving their goals.

The workshop participants visited the Vancouver Learning Network, a successful local open school run by Ms. Cindy Gauthier who shared her thoughts about the effective use of technology. A visit to the British Columbia Institute of Technology provided women with details about its IT support system, which is an important area for improvement in many developing countries.

The women who attended the workshop will continue to network and collaborate through an online Base Camp network. The workshop’s recommendations and findings inform the development of self-instructional materials that can be used to help women in leadership positions in open schools to embrace the potential of ICT.

UNICEF AND COL PARTNER FOR CHILD-FRIENDLY SCHOOLS

UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) is collaborating with COL to help promote its Child-Friendly Schools programme. Child-Friendly Schools models are now the major means through which UNICEF advocates for and promotes quality in education. Child-Friendly Schools go beyond good teaching methods and learning outcomes to also consider issues such as:

• Health and nutrition status of learners;
• Adequacy of available facilities, services and supplies; and
• Safety and protection afforded by the learning environment.

Based on the promising success with the Child-Friendly Schools model in over 60 countries, UNICEF now seeks to mainstream Child-Friendly Schools or similar models throughout the education systems in all 154 countries in which it operates. Rather than investing sequentially in single factors such as teacher training or textbook provision, UNICEF advocates the comprehensive Child-Friendly Schools approach.

COL will work with partner institutions in 10 countries – Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Swaziland, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zambia – to develop and organise 50 “train the trainer” workshops that will introduce the Child-Friendly Schools model to teacher training institutions and teacher resources centres in these countries.

UNICEF is providing funding of $US 1.8 million to COL to carry out this work over the next two years.