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Youth Interactive Correspondent
Pomp and fanfare always greets events where e-learning gadgets and platforms are unveiled at schools and colleges, but little is then reported on the utilisation of the same resources and the benefits gained by the targeted students.
It is evidently clear that there is little information on schools and colleges that are both excelling and failing on e-learning.
The impact of e-learning on educational institutions needs to be known, more specifically the pass rate.
Stakeholders, especially the students who are touted as the beneficiaries, also deserve to know the standards of excellence to benchmark the utilisation of resources.
The parents and school development associations that are raising funds to acquire the infrastructure like computer labs deserve to know also.
Caleb Mutisi, a Bachelor of Education student Zimbabwe Open University said, “The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has a wonderful vision f to use ICT effectively and efficiently throughout the education sector enabling as to enable all learners to achieve their full potential.
‘What is lacking now are the defined e-learning standards of excellence so that school and college authorities must adhere to.
There is need to establish key performance indicators and determine the tools that you will need to properly guide them.
This will also inspire and guide schools that are learner centred to offer quality services as well as expose and shame the school authorities who are just sitting on e-learning resources and those offering half-baked products.” he said.
Rumbidzai Karimanzira, who is doing a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in accounting at Chinhoyi University of Technology bemoaned the fact that insufficient e-learning information was availed when she enrolled.
“Before enrolling, I didn’t know about the need to carry any gadget. I was then told by someone who had referred me from home of the need for one. Though the university has a computer lab and a platform that is self-explanatory, but it was during induction that I was told the basics.
“Information on the e-learning products colleges offer and the requirements must be readily to potential students in advance so that they make informed decisions and get enrolled armed with the appropriate gadgets as well as the prerequisite skills like basic computer literacy,” she said.
From Karimanzira’s testimony, it shows that there is a huge information and skills gap.
The responsible ministries must audit all institutions from ECD up to universities to ensure that they are offering what is expected and meeting the standards set in the national e-learning policy.
The audit will enable parents to identify pro e-learning institutions that are ready to achieve their aspirations while benchmarking them against national and international standards just like the way they publish the Zimsec pass rate list.
Online Reporter