3rd African UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summit

on “Access and Inclusion: Improving TVET through ICT-based Information and Learning Solutions”

The 3rd African UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summit on “Access and Inclusion: Improving TVET through ICT-based Information and Learning Solutions” was a special event within the Pan-African annual eLearning Africa conference and held in Dakar, Senegal, on 27 May 2009. It was organised by UNESCO-UNEVOC in partnership with the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa (UNESCO/BREDA), the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB).

The Summit brought together 100 education experts from various countries in Africa and around the world, including TVET policy makers, researchers and practitioners, to share experiences and discuss strategies and implementation mechanisms for the integration and sustainable use of ICTs in TVET.

Building on the discussions and outcomes of the highly successful previous African UNESCO-UNEVOC TVET Summits that took place at eLearning Africa 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya, and eLearning Africa 2008 in Accra, Ghana (with 150 participants at each Summit, more than 10% of the total number of participants at the respective eLearning Africa conferences), the Summit further promoted best practice in the use of ICTs in TVET in Africa. It featured a variety of innovative TVET initiatives and projects, including

Open and distance learning (ODL) / ICT to expand and improve the teaching and learning in community health nursing (CHN);
Radio for development;
Mobile learning;
Quality certification for e-learning in capacity building; and
Online knowledge sharing in the area of education for the world of work.

The Summit aimed to address the following questions, among others:

What are the benefits of using ICTs in TVET?
What is the current status of e-learning and ICTs in African TVET? Who is active in the field? Who are the pioneers on the ground?
What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of ICTs in TVET in Africa?
What are the lessons learnt in developed countries and how can they be applied to Africa?

In addition to examining and promoting the use of ICTs in TVET in Africa, the TVET Summit aims to create a loose community of practitioners that foster the strengthening of TVET through the integration of ICTs.

Links

http://www.elearning-africa.com

UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa (UNESCO/BREDA)

Commonwealth of Learning (COL)

German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB)