Dear friends
,
This is probably the first informal online messge to those of you who have
expressed interest in participating and/or contributing to the proposed
Ethiopian Open College (under construction). We are now ready to launch
the Ethiopian Distance Learning Assoiciation, which I think will be the
major driving vehicle for the open college. The Firts Draft Constitution
is available on line for your comments. Your comments can be delivered to
http://www.physics.ncat.edu/~michael/edla
.
We beleive EDLA will be an organization with a mission and there are lots
of things to be done. But, as any organization it must justfy its
importance and usefullness to the community. There are three issues to
address,
Education of the Ethiopian Disapora
Education of all Ethiopians
the emergence of the Ethiopian community as one unit.
The first issue is being addressed formally and informally. The two
Ethiopian networks, the Ethiopian media and the Ethiopian civic,
religions, and politcal organizations are constaly teaching the firts
group. However an organizations such as EDLA is needed to formalize this
education.
There are tausands of students who need academic adivisors and role
models. At the same time the want help in physics, take a course in
astronomy or learn the history of Ethiopia or learn an ethiopian language,
philosophy, religion, health issue. Even some may volonteer to go to help
one of our affliates in Ethiopia, in which case EDLA will orient, inform
or even train the volonteer. Such an organized effort is necessary so that
the new generation in diaspora will be connected to their psyche and
history.
The second issue will be addressed via the International Open College of
Ethiopia,the Virtual School of Ethiopian Studies and Ethiopian Virtual
University. Through these inistituions, EDLA
will mobilize professionals, educators and organizations
which are concerned with education so that they
support Ethiopian educational inistituions
will assist the development of accredited courses to be
delivered
will encourge volonteerism e.t.c
We beleive that such engament will address the final issue. The final
result of education is unity and we must fullfill this duty.
EDLA is already a reality however it needs direction, guidance, and focus.
For that, there is a lot of homework to do. Effective contribution to
education in Ethiopia requires adequate data on the following matters
The state of Higher Education in Ethiopia
We need data on
- accessiblity of higher education accessible to all those
qualified
- the types of jobs available for the graduates
- what most students to prefere to major in
- o the preparation and consistency (adequacy) of the student
traning to the global trend.
- drop out rate and retention mechanism
- enrollment
- the adequacy of education infrastructure
- the edequacy and consistency of student training to
the needs of the population
high school graduates and unemployment
We need data on
- the average/total number of students graduating from high
schools each year
- how many are being accepted to higher ed (colleges, universities)
- how many graduates are accepted to colleges, voccational
schools, universities, or go directly to job market
Adult Education
We need data on
- literacy (reading and writing)
- basic health education
(sexaually transmited disease, smoking,drug abuse)
- basic farming practices and Enviromental education
- balanced nutrition
- cottage industries e.t.c
Infrastructure
We need data on
- the educational infrastructure in Ethiopia
internet connectivity, availabiliy of mutimedia
systems,Telephone, televison, radio e.t.c
- the possiblity of creating an electronic data base
that will be accessible to Ethiopian inistitutions free of charge
Funding sources
We need data on
- Private donors
- Educational foundations
There are many more that we can add. Having the data, will help us
identify the areas where our open college can be effectively utilized. For
example, it will help us answer questions such as, what kind of courses
can we provide to a highschooler (who did not make it to college) so that
he/she become employable ?. In the final analysis, we need to have a long
and short term goals. Initially, we will be able to do the data collection
and the following
- Enhance higher education curriculum:
- This involves collaboration of instructors world wide
- Providing accredited courses via new educational delivery
systems
- Providing training/extentions courses for entry level
jobs
- Introduce new educational delivery systems to be incorporated to
the traditional methods of instruction
- Organize workshps to train local educators on the use of new
educational delvery systems.
- Faciltiate the accessibility of educational materials such as
books journals e.t.c
- Provide credited short courses for social workers,
health assistants,farmers e.t.c to help imporve quality of life
- Develop the Ethiopian lecture hall, which is the depository of
courses adminstered by the Open College.
Here is the mission:
Please go get some of the data. It is possible to find them in your
university libraries. One strategy is to make connections with
our ethiopian counterparts to get some of the data. While doing that
let's try to convince others to join in. The more the merier.
Ethiopian Distance Learning Association
ak