One of the biggest impacts of the covid-19 pandemic for many learners was the shift from physical learning to e-learning. The Ministry of Education to encourage e-learning in Uganda since it has failed to fully take off in Uganda citing a number of challenges like high costs of gadgets required and the internet which has made some learners lag behind.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni met with the founder and director of Imano Portal Limited, Philip Pleiwon at State House to discuss efforts that will empower educational institutions to embrace e-learning. The Ministry of education to encourage e-learning in Uganda by empowering educational institutions which will encourage students to continue with their studies and stay on track with the rest of the world.
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In March 2020, the President announced the closure of all schools and institutions of higher learning to protect citizens against the virus and prevent it from spreading. From this moment on, it remained unclear for how long learners would be out of school and when they would eventually catch up with their studies. Some institutions like Uganda Christian University (UCU) managed to carry out online studies amidst the pandemic however this was not the same story for other learners in Uganda.
The Ministry of Education to encourage e-learning in Uganda with a computer fund
The meeting was held at State House Nakasero to discuss the partnership of Imano Portal Limited with Uganda’s education sector to promote cost-effective e-learning solutions in institutions of higher learning, according to New Vision.
The First Lady said “We need to begin with universities to enable the students to continue to do their courses from wherever they are, since we do not know for how long COVID-19 is going to be in the world and for how long the restrictions will go on in the global community.”
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One of the biggest limitations to e-learning in Uganda is the inability of most families to afford the gadgets that learners need to carry out online studies. With at least 21.4% of Ugandans living below the poverty line, access to computers and the internet is far from the reality for many families who struggle with access to basic needs.
The Ministry of education to encourage e-learning in Uganda with new strategies like a computer fund. The First Lady welcomed the idea of a Computer Fund that will help subsidize the cost of accessing computers by students and encouraged the students to invest in empowering themselves by accessing computers on hire purchase.
Philip Pleiwon observed that e-learning is the future of learning, but Africa is far behind and that the demand for cost-effective e-learning solution by higher education institutions is extremely high. The ministry of education to encourage e-learning in Uganda by collaborating with Imano portal limited by providing comprehensive Africa-specific solutions.
He clarified that Imano Portal Limited is a social enterprise mainly focusing on higher education in order to encourage digital learning in Africa and that it could be the continent’s real source of development. He quoted access, in collaboration with government and educators and the entire education sector, to quality learning material, hardware such as computers and tablets. He said they work with states, educators and higher-education institutions.
Source: New Vision
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