The USAID Leland Initiative Ghana Country Assessment and Implementation Strategy

The following is a brief excerpt of the Leland Ghana
Information and Communication Strategic Objective Second School-To-School Report

Strategic Objective 3: End User Applications

School-to-School Partnership: Ghana
February 17 -18, 1997

Leland Initiative: Africa Global Information
Infrastructure Gateway Project

United States Agency for International Development
Africa Bureau, Office of Sustainable Development
USAID/Accra

Zoey Breslar
United States Agency for International Development
Policy and Program Coordination
Center for Development Information and Evaluation
Research and Reference Services Project

Introduction

The purpose of the Leland Initiative's School-to-School Partnership Program is to promote win-win partnerships between schools in Africa and the United States via the Internet. In African countries, this Initiative, in conjunction with the USAID mission's bilateral funds, may assist schools in becoming aware of the academic uses of the Internet, and in acquiring the hardware and training needed to participate in the Partnership.

The benefits of the Leland Initiative's School-to-School Partnership are four-fold. First, it gives students a meaningful introduction to new technologies and provides them with the skills and the means to access resources previously unavailable due to high communications costs and limited communications technologies in Africa. Second, it aids faculty and administrators to enhance their skills and provides them with resources to further develop their curricula. Third, the dialogue and projects created through this Partnership will enrich the African resources available on the Internet, supplying much-needed information about Africa to the world. These are linkages essential to today's global economy, the means by which Africa will leapfrog into the 21st century. Last, in developing the skills of the participants, this Partnership cultivates the current and future markets for Internet technologies. The School-to-School Partnership contributes to the long-term growth of the user base and can help develop human resources at the country level, complimenting other Leland SO3 activities.

Background

The Leland Initiative's School-to-School Partnership Program began in Ghana in late October 1996 when six schools in Accra were selected to explore the potential of incorporating the Internet into their academic activities with USAID support, and subsequently corresponding with three schools in the United States.

Since October, Laura Brodrick, USAID/Accra Leland Coordinator, has given technical advice and encouraged the two schools that are currently online to begin collaborative projects with the U.S. schools. She has also introduced the Internet to many other interested schools in Accra, and facilitated USAID-funded Internet connectivity for 20 schools, for 1 year.

The next step of the Partnership was to provide an introduction to the Internet to the schools most interested, those taking the most initiative to get connectivity, and those most enthusiastic about sharing these technologies. The training team spent two additional days with the schools' teachers and administrators providing the same training as USAID's Internet for Development: Applications and Training (provided to USAID staff and partner institutions), with educational resources and extended brainstorming sessions for the schools to plan next steps.

Summary of Training

The training took place in the Lincoln Room of the USAID/Accra Mission on February 17-18, from 9:00am to 4:00pm, and was conducted by Steven Dorsey, Amy Oggel, and Zoey Breslar. A total of 51 teachers and administrators, with varying levels of computer skills, were trained.

The Internet for Development: Applications and Training sessions began with a slide-show which described the Internet, and gave a brief history of its development. Six hours of hands-on Internet use followed, including an introduction to basic Netscape features, listservs, email, search engines, searching the Web, and browsing education-specific sites. Trainers were available throughout the day to give individual assistance and to answer questions. (See Annex A for agenda.) Much hard copy material was distributed to participants, listing sites for teachers, students, and administrators, including sections copied from The Educator's Internet Resource Handbook, K-12 Resources on the Internet: An Instructional Guide, and The Internet and Instruction: Activities and Ideas (see Annex B for bibliography). These gave guidelines for incorporating the Internet into academics and the advantages of the Internet in school settings.

Additional hand-outs that were provided, included Ghana-specific sites, other guides, and a glossary. Laura Brodrick, USAID/Accra Leland Coordinator, also distributed information on local Internet Service Providers and approximate costs for Internet services.

The second day of training focused on the science resources on the Internet, though the training differed very little from the first day due to the varied computer experience of the participants. Most of the time was spent becoming familiar with the Netscape software and the Internet. Hand-outs included a supplemental list of science sites, and participants were encouraged to explore the Internet for science information and related classroom materials.

Feedback on the training was requested at the conclusion of each session. In general, participants found the sessions useful, but recognized that they had only been able to scratch the surface of what the Internet has to offer. Further training will be needed for teachers before they are ready to introduce the Internet to their students.

Discussion

At the end of each training period the participants were brought together for a brainstorming session to discuss the advantages of using the Internet in schools, the constraints they face in getting Internet connectivity for schools, and the next steps for making the Internet an effective tool for Ghanaian schools.

In general, it was agreed that Internet access would be an asset to any school in that it would provide supplemental skills and information to students, teachers, and administrators. Information available on the Internet fills many of the gaps created by outdated or non-existent textbooks. And, the opportunities for networking with other schools and allowing African students and teachers to interact with others world-wide are invaluable. However, the cost of equipment and connectivity are serious barriers to making this technology a reality for most Ghanaian schools. Discussions about sharing computer/Internet resources and the potential of the 110 district-level Science Resource Centers to act as additional resources inspired participants to form an association. The first meeting of this association, Partners for Internet in Education, is scheduled for March 10th, when they will discuss assisting one another in taking advantage of Internet technologies.

Next Steps

Laura Brodrick agreed to coordinate the first meeting of Partners for Internet in Education, with the understanding that the association then would assume that responsibility and her role would become an advisory one. This association has the potential to incorporate all schools in Accra interested in Internet technologies (and in the future, potentially support/advise those outside of Accra). It will act as an advocate for the schools' interests, argue for the need for the Internet in schools, and benefit from the new resources being offered by the Science Resource Centers. In doing this, there would become a national awareness of Internet use in schools.

Ghana will soon become a recognized participant in the GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) Program, an international science education program with an Internet component. Schools, both with and without Internet connectivity, will be able to participate in this Program upon the signing of the bilateral agreement. The GLOBE Program is an excellent way to further incorporate scientific methodology into the classroom, as well as provide a structured introduction to the Internet and show its relevance in classroom activities.

Conclusion

The training and grants provided by USAID/Accra and the Leland Initiative have given the Partners for Internet in Education and introduction to Internet technologies and a foundation on which to build. This association has the potential to introduce and make sustainable the use of the Internet in schools throughout Ghana, as it is relevant, useful, and feasible.

Annex A--Training Agenda: The Leland Initiative's
School-to-School Partnership
February 17-18, 1997 USAID/Accra

2:15 - 3:00 Brainstorming on Internet Applications for Schools, and Action Planning for an Academic End-User Group

Annex B--Bibliography

Barron, Ann E. and Karen S. Ivers. The Internet and Instruction: Actvities and Ideas. Englewood, Co.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1996.

Junion-Metz, Gail. K-12 Resources oin the Internet: An Instructional Guide (Internet Workshop Series Number 5). Berkeley, Ca.: Library Solutions Press, 1996.

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