SchoolNet Africa in WIRED news

By Katie Dean

2:00 a.m. July 24, 2020 PDT

In some schools in Africa, basic necessities like water and electricity are so rare that bringing technology resources to students might seem to be beyond their reach.

But SchoolNetAfrica, the first African-run nonprofit organization focusing on educational technology, is doing just that.

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"Countries are at different levels (of technology access) but they all believe that information and communication technology will help the students to be critical learners and thinkers," said Heba Ramzy, the steering committee member for Egypt.

Ramzy is one of 10 steering committee representatives from 10 African countries that governs SNA. Twenty-eight African countries participate in the program.

The nonprofit is focusing on several programs that, she hopes, will build technology resources and leadership throughout the continent.

"Maybe we are way behind," she said. "Now is the time that we have to invest in the future to prepare our kids to play a role globally. Why should anybody else plan for their future?"

SNA is running ThinkQuest Africa, a Web design competition where students collaborate over the Internet to build an educational website. It's based on the original ThinkQuest Internet Challenge.

Ramzy said that SNA also wants to build a "Knowledgewarehouse" of online content that would include websites developed by students and online curriculum.

Also, the organization plans to identify and train leaders who can head technology initiatives in their respective countries.

Access to computers and connectivity is one of the major challenges, Ramzy said, and SNA is researching different models of funding, like the e-rate in the United States, to see what is appropriate for African countries.

Ramzy said the organization is also working to facilitate relationships between telecommunications companies and different countries.

The exact number of schools that have access to technology resources in Africa varies dramatically by country.

About one-third of schools in South Africa have computers and/or Internet access, according to Ed Gragert, director of the International Education and Resource Network (iEARN), a nonprofit that also works with African schools and SNA.

Gragert estimates that less than 5 percent, or about 200 schools, in Ghana and Uganda have technology access, and they lead other African countries.

Some schools receive money for technology from the government, but usually that amounts to one computer that sits in the principal's office for administrative purposes, Gragert said. In other areas, motivated teachers have purchased computers themselves.

Connections are almost always dial-ups, which can be slow and clunky.

"What SchoolNetAfrica is doing is so important," said Ed Gragert. "A national program by Nigeria could be applied in Angola. SchoolNetAfrica plays the role of sharing that information."

And there are numerous examples of successful projects that students have completed when given access to technology.

Amr Hamdy, program manager for ThinkQuest Africa, said that students who participate in the Web design competition learn communication, in addition to technology, skills.

"It changes their personality. It gives them confidence in their abilities," Hamdy said. "I find it very useful for the children."

Mohamed Abdallah, a 16-year-old from Alexandria, Egypt, built a website about blood as a participant in ThinkQuest last year.

"I didn't know anything when I started," he said. "You're working with international partners and doing something useful and fun."

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