Open Learning ExchangeUniversal Basic Education 2015

Two webcasts hosted by the World Bank highlight recent studies on:

1. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): A Study of Models of Affordable Computing for Schools in Developing Countries. This page gives you an overview of the presentations and links to several versions of the video. This video is the one they recommend using.
2. Low-cost ICT devices in Education: Hope, Hype and Heuristics. The overview page for this video is not working at the moment but you can open the video here.

You can also go here for a complete list of the World Bank’s Archived Webcasts of e-Development Seminars

Anyone who is involved in projects providing information and computer technology (ICT) solutions to schools in developing countries should know about these studies. At OLE we are interested in finding pathways that lead to Universal Basic Education (UBE) by 2015. While we strongly believe that ICT will play a vital role in achieving this goal, it is important to make sure that new educational models are developed that can realistically scale to reach every child in a given country with the level of support the government is willing and able to provide.

On November 7th the Danish Ambassador to Nepal, the Honorable Finn Thilsted, visited one of the two OLE Nepal test project schools in Lakuribhanjyang, a rural village in the outlying hills in Kathmandu Valley. He was accompanied on the visit to Bashuki Lowe Secondary School by Mr. Ove Fritz Larsen, the Minister Counsellor of the Danish Embassy in Kathmandu; Dr. Prativa Pandey, Chairperson of OLE Nepal Board; and Mr. Rabi Karmacharya, Executive Director of OLE Nepal. Mr. Thilsted was keen to learn how children in the poor community were using the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) laptops that were donated by Dansk-IT in Copenhagen. The project was implemented by OLE Nepal with funds received from the Danish Government.

At the school, the Ambassador observed the two classes where teachers and students were using the laptops in the daily teaching-learning process. He then talked to the students about his own first experience with laptops 22 years ago, and how it has changed his life. He told the students that he uses it every day to learn about what is going on in his country, to communicate, and to learn about new things. Thanks to recent technological advances, he now can see and talk to his children who are in college in Denmark.

Ambassador Thilsted told the students that he was thrilled to see the same powerful means of learning and communication in their hands, and hoped they will make the best use of the opportunity. The students told the Ambassador that they use the laptops to chat with friends both at school and home. Other members of their families also use the laptops at home. They also said that they are finding it easier to learn concepts in math and English through the use of the laptops.

The Headmaster of the school thanked the Ambassador for the support from the Danish Government and people that has made it possible to put laptops in the hands of the students. The Chairman of the School Management Committee said that he had never dreamed that he would see children in this rural village using laptops in his lifetime. This has truly expanded the opportunities to learn for the children and the community.

The Ambassador said he was very impressed with what he saw at the school, and with the progress made by the project.

Dr. Richard Rowe, President of Open Learning Exchange, took part in the Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York City, September 24-26. Dr. Rowe was invited to join over a thousand world leaders, investors, and philanthropists because of former US President Bill Clinton’s determination that CGI needed to do more to help Haiti. OLE Haiti’s education initiatives received close scrutiny and high praise.

The Clinton Global Initiative (www.clintonglobalinitiative.org) was begun by President Clinton in 2005. It is a non-partisan catalyst for action that brings together a community of global leaders from various backgrounds to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

CGI reaches world leaders, future leaders from college campuses, and global citizens through a community of projects evolving from CGI’s unique model that focuses on taking action. Since 2005, CGI members have made nearly 1,000 commitments valued at upwards of $30 billion to impact more than 200 million lives in over 150 countries.

Click here to read about OLE’s commitment to Haiti: http://ole.org/myhaiticommitment/

‘Xiwasan sutixa’ is Aymara for ‘this is our name’  – and there is a new name in the OLE family: OLE Bolivia. Under the gifted leadership of Yamandu (Yama) Ploskonka, OLE has hit the ground running in this South American country!

While formal incorporation of a national OLE is in progress with recruitment of a national board of directors, Yama has brought together a team of local volunteers to translate the Sugar computer interface used in the XO computers from One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) into Aymara, the language spoken by over two million Bolivians.During the weekend of September 13-14 the team worked through a 25-hour-long marathon session on this important project. . A further translation project will allow OLE members to use the Course Development Studio and access the Billion Kids Library in Aymara.

The Aymara currently lack many of the educational materials that would help them obtain a quality education. OLE Bolivia will help bridge that gap by helping Aymara children have the same access to computer-based quality education as those who speak languages for which computer software is already available.

The translation project provides a stong start in creating a good foundation for OLE Bolivia. Starting with this early focus on Bolivia’s ‘first nation’ people, OLE Bolivia is dedicated to providing access to quality education and world class content to the 3.1 million children of Bolivia. This is a key step in achieving Universal Basic Education by 2015.