Winter months in Asia are a season of festivals, and of gatherings and conferences. This winter has been no exception, and CEMCA has had the opportunity to be involved, in one way or another with several events of educational importance. By far, the most important was the 14'h Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers at Halifax from 26 to 30 November 2000. Held alongside this important event was a parallel international symposium, a unique interaction between students, academics, educational administrators and Commonwealth Ministers of Education to discuss and debate global issues concerning education.

The Halifax Declaration and the Communiqué are available on the Commonwealth's website. However, what merits mention here is the overriding concern for the educationally deprived in the developing countries, and the fact that, despite tremendous efforts, progress continues to be constrained by the lack of financial and skilled human resources for the delivery and management of quality education.

Ministers also urged the active and systematic use of information and communication technologies through strategic initiatives that link countries, agencies, the private sector, teacher organizations, and NGOs to address educational needs. We feel proud to say that CEMCA is one such small initiative that is beginning to show results; and one of our major initiatives is the regular publication of EduComm Asia, bringing information about ideas, case studies, experiences, resource materials, and technologies to all our readers (especially those without access to the Internet and the world wide web).

In this issue of EduComm Asia, we bring you the second part of a lecture by Prof. R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao, delivered as part of the Ram Reddy Endowment Lecture series. In this part of the article, Prof. Rao looks at issues through the eyes of developing countries.

We showcase the Open University of Sri Lanka and in our case study, we focus on a pilot initiative to train socially disabled women in ICTs. In our section on Technology tracking, we describe virtual presentations and the world's largest virtual campus. Other information about websites, regional events, and forthcoming meetings are included as part of our regular features.

Our book review looks at a volume on Basic Education at a Distance, a description and analysis of some of the major issues confronting basic education worldwide. 1 personally found this volume to be a very exciting addition to knowledge about the field. We hope you will find our issue adds value to your reading and writing. If you come across any interesting information, case study, article, website, please be sure to write to us so that we may disseminate the same to others in Asia.

We invite you to visit our website www.cemca.org and to write to us if you need further information or details about the contents of this issue.

By
Prof. R. V. R. Chandrasekhar

Prof. R. V. R. Chandrasekhar Rao is an eminent academician, former Vice-Chancellor and ex- Director, Asia Programmes at COL.
 In this edited version of Prof. Rao’s discourse at the G. Ram Reddy memorial lecture in July, we have tried to capture the essence of his argument on the relationship between information, knowledge, wisdom and the informational society.
This is the second part of his lecture, The first part appeared in our October 2000, issue.

Prima facie, in the developing countries like India, there is a dysfunction between the pace of information technologies progress and of its adoption in formal learning sites. Thus while India is one of the foremost among the Third World to initiate and consolidate software industries, the learning sites are still to feel its impact in any appreciable manner. To be sure, the orientation of learning and education does bow to the demands of the new technologies opportunities as already adverted to. Yet, in terms of adoption of this technology by the wider learning environment, we witness a discontinuity.

While there is more than marginal quantitative growth of student enrolment at all levels of education, the qualitative factor in terms of instructional pattern is unflattering. Enrolment in education increased from 2.4 crores in 1950-51 to about 19 crores in 1996-97 according to official figures. The number of students in educational institutions out numbers the total populations of United Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada taken together. Schooling facilities are accessible to nearly 95 percent of the school-going age children. All this coexists with a shameful literacy rate for the population as a whole.

On the quality side, not many comprehensive studies are available assessing especially the linkages between investment in human capital and economic productivity and the role of informational technology absorption. Research is largely confined to macro-level findings and interstate comparisons.

Leaving these broader issues aside, even in the matter of incorporation of the new technologies by educational institutions there is paucity of comprehensive material. One can only resort to impressionistic assessments.

At the school level, introduction of computer-awareness is still the exception than the rule, confined as it is mostly to private schools, with the vast public school system largely left out. The college level scene is slightly different. But here too, though computer applications are introduced as a special subject, computer associated learning in general figures little. At the post graduate level the situation is the same. In fact, the conditions there are so weird that in humanities and social sciences, there is a diversion of students from well -to -do backgrounds, to private institutions with programmes in technical (e.g. computer-oriented) areas even though their academic background is any thing but technical.

Thus, our enquiry in this regard will have to be restricted to distance education experience. This should be familiar ground to all of you. In dual-mode institutions, especially the distance education affiliates of conventional universities, educational communications technology is particularly nil. Many of them have not got beyond the pure correspondence stage; even study centers are a rarity. Coming to open universities, those in the various states have varied experiences. The provision of audio-video backup at the study centers is no doubt in place but the actual facilitation of this is largely in a neglected state. The use of radio broadcasts in reaching the people in their homes is, however, a regular feature. Television use is augmented even in some state open universities with the inauguration of telecasting of subject-wise lessons on a regular basis. In some states, telecommunications are used in joint collaborative ventures between state development agencies like Panchayatraj institutions and theconcerned state open universities, particularly in the tribal districts. With the ftirther extension of telecom network this should provide a new dimension to the penetration of information technologies in education.

IGNOU stands forth as the paradigm case in the use of the informational technology for the learning enterprise. In addition to the standard features of student support, the expansion into interactive video lessons with phone-in provision and coverage of significant education-related events for use in general public telecasting.

In pursuit of reaching the unreached, a significant additional media support input in the form of interactive radio counselling began two years ago, now covering over 20 Capital stations of All India Radio and relayed by over 70 stations. It is a synchronized weekly transmission IGNOU HOUR on Sunday with coverage almost all over the country. A monthly slot in this is earmarked to state open universities. A matter of even greater satisfaction and pride to IGNOU is the opening of Gyan Darshan, the exclusive educational TV channel of India, entrusted to IGNOU by the Government of India. It is a 16-hour non-stop facility combining the existing educational programmes and the new initiative of telecasting curriculum-based programmes to various group of learners.

Thus, integration of primary and teacher education with IGNOU's own higher education curriculum is ensured under this initiative. Given the vastness of the country and its linguistic and cultural diversity, broadcasting and television media's extension is itself a substantial achievement in wielding technology for learning. However, the use of other near-state of the art devices like the internet and joining together of the television and the computer for education, is still not a regular and sustained feature. A start is made in this regard in offering online courses through the internet in areas such as web page design, Java programming. In all this expansion of educational technology, the tasks of consolidation and sustaining the quality of counselling, attractive formatting, quality of broadcasting and telecasting are yet to be fulfilled and no one knows this better than the university's facilitators themselves.

The even wider task of endowing all distance education sites with a real network of electronic media communications can only be achieved by adequate government support. Apart from a dedicated television channel for education, which is more a macro-level facility, investment in micro-level networks at least at all study centres is a priority.

In countries like India, state investment in education and communications in educational technology cannot but be the primary source and open learning should receive its due share. While industry's contribution is coming in the shape of innovative development of software technologies, its contribution to educational programmes is still to make a mark. In the relative roles of research, industry and the government in pushing the informational age, developing countries have to rely mostly on the governmental sector. The role of the state in the gestation of informational society in various parts of the globe is rather uneven. Ironically indeed, even the role and encouragement of business and industry has been rather half-hearted as had been the case in the United States, home of the informational technology's revolution.

However, so far as application of l.T. for the education context is concerned, much would depend on governmental institutions in India.

To the extent distance education is concerned, leaving aside Japan whose society's infrastructure can absorb far more of communications technology applications, India so far has been looking towards the extension of broadcasting and telecasting for learning purpose. As already mentioned, the permission for laying a broader network of communications technology to reach the "unreached" would necessitate the undertaking of a mission dedicated to open learning. Allow me to call it MEET - Mission for Extension of Educational Technology. That would be a viable way of meeting the challenges of the informational society.

Looking at a sample of investment in Open Learning at the higher education level, the Central Government has till 1999 extended aid to the tune of Rs.198.34 crores to IGNOU.

I may be pardoned for not being more detailed in my figures. Taking the Central Government funds, both plan and non-plan, IGNOU received about 500 crores during the period 1995-2000. 100 crores a year would seem very handsome funding. However, realizing that this university takes a very large number of students when compared to even the largest of the conventional universities and the fact that part of this fund goes to state open universities and other distance education centres, the grant is modest indeed. Laying a comprehensive infrastructure of communication technology is most expensive, both in terms of equipment cost and operational cost.

It is true that the establishment of Gyan Darshan, should be regarded as additional endowment by the Government to the university. Yet when we talk of a national technology network catering to distance education needs, broadcasting and telecasting facilities can only be a part of such venture. Therefore, a further crash programme to assist the university in this regard is an imperative need IGNOU has, even with the modest means available to go ahead with programmes of setting up many computer labs and tele-learning centres in its Regional Centres. Besides six computer labs are being set up in the relatively inaccessible North Eastern region. While this is encouraging as it is, still more needs to be done.

I have referred to the difference in the experience of the U. S. on the one hand and Europe and Japan on the other in terms of the inputs put by private entrepreneur-ship on the one hand and govemnment initiatives on the other. In the context of India, it has to be mostly of the latter type. The contribution by the information technology industry has so far been in the form of private entrepreneurial initiatives. As sustained cross-fertilization in innovation in educational programmes development is yet to be forthcoming in this. The University should make greater efforts to cultivate the industry.

The Open University Of Sri Lanka

The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) was established in 1980 and is the premier institute in the country for Open and Distance Learning. The university operates under the umbrella of the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka.

Any citizen over 18 years of age can seek admission to the university. It offers Certificate Courses, Diplomas, Undergraduate Courses and Post Graduate Courses in many disciplines of study forming a ladder of opportunity for citizens who may not have requisite academic qualifications to enter directly into an undergraduate programme with minimal qualifications they posses. A learner can enroll with a certificate course and proceed upwards. Announcements of different academic programmes are made on regular basis through the press and other news media.

Faculties of Study

The university's focus is on adult employed learners. Distance learning allows them to follow study programmes while employed. The university's outlook is to increase their access to learning .

Faculty ofEngineering Technology goes on record as the first distance learning institute to offer a Bachelor Degree in Engineering. Currently, the university has about 20,000 learners enrolled for studies.

The university has established a country wide network of regional centers and study centers. The infrastructure facilities vary depending on student needs in the locality. Regional educational Service network comprises of four regional centers, six study centres and five teaching centres. The Regional Educational Service functions under a director and looks after Student Support Services across this network. Student counselling is an important aspect of student support.

OUSL also operates a network of libraries at regional and study centers to enhance access to facilities at local level. The main library is situated at Colombo within the central campus.

The Educational Technology Division of the university functioning under a Director looks after staff training in study material development, audio-visual productions, distance education research and integration of technologies for dissemination. It has under its purview a state-of-the-art audio visual production center, donated by the Government of Japan.

The recent establishment of an Information Technology Unit functioning under a Director.aims to enhance integration of computer based technologies into the university infrastructure.

A three year DfID project with British Government funding was completed recently. The project period brought about intense interaction with overseas consultants in capacity building for course material development distance education research and staff training.

The database initiated under this project for the University is nearing completion and would then allow 'on-line' interaction for administrators, teachers and students of the university

Armed with these capabilities the university is looking ahead to succeed in it's vision in becoming a leader in distance education in South Asia within the first decade of the 21 st century.

A Case Study by Dr. (Ms) W.A.R Wijeratne

An important question confronting many societies is how to bring the physically and/or socially disabled sector into the mainstream applications of emerging technologies (e.g. information technology). A 18-month pilot project, sponsored by the Information for Development (InfoDev) Programme of the World Bank, is designing a computer skill programme tailored to meet the employment needs of low income and socially disabled women. The InfoDev Project titled SITA (Studies in Information Technology Applications: Training in Computer Skills for low-income Women is hoping that its initiative will become self-evolving and self-sustaining in due course.

The idea of training women from disad-vantaged background originated under the UNESCO sponsored Locally Produced Low Cost Equipment Project directed by the author during 1980-1995 when he was a Professor at the University of Delhi. His (late) wife and professional colleague. Dr. K^amalini Sane, found that it was possible to train needy women in the area of Desktop Publishing (DTP) using the manuscripts they had written for the LPLCE Project. The growth of this interesting idea, conceived by a woman for women, was cruelly cut short by Kamalini's fading health culminating in her premature demise in April 1993.

Destiny however willed that this tragedy did not have a paralyzing but a catalytic effect on future developments. Thanks to a series of fortuitous happenings, the informal gropings got converted into Project SITA funded by the Information for Development (InfoDev) program of the World Bank.

Small batches of selected trainees are given intensive hands-on computer training based on real life exercises using Ms Office 2000. Wherever possible, each trainee is attached to a potential employer. At the end of the course, successful trainees are given a Certificate and assistance in getting employment.

The entire training program is totally free but every trainee is required to offer part-time services as an assistant to a Trainer, after completing her course.

Project SITA has so far registered 448 needy applicants. It also has developed a Resource Package consisting of

1. Modem Office computer skills
2. A multi lingual training manual 2 Interactive Multimedia modules for self-learning
3. Softwares

* Easy-key for learning keyboard skills.
* Easy-mouse for learning mouse handling
* On-line testing for self-assessment
* Easy-Lib for Library management in schools.

4. Question Bank related to basic computer concepts
5. English-Hindi-Urdu Dictionary for minimal comprehension of English
6. Audio/video material for supplementing the print material.

Dr. Kiron Bunsal Lecturer, ERT EMPC, IGNOU
Publisher : Routhledge Flamer-2000 Editors : Chris Yades & J bradley, Cambridge
ISBN : 0-415-23774-2

Basic Education at a Distance, second in the series of World Review of Distance Education and Open Learning, and edited by Chris Yatcs, and Jo Bradley, of the International Extension College, Cambridge, contains the indepth analyasis and views of eminent distance educators across the Commonwealth on a comprehensive range of issues related to basic education and Open and Distance Learning (ODL).

Ten years after the Jomtien Conference of 1990, the volume looks back at the past decade, reviews performance and examines the following key questions:

*Does open and distance learning have a role in reducing the numbers of undereducated people in the world?
*What lessons does open and distance learning have for policy makers in adult basic and primary education?
*How far can the new information and communication technologies help meet the world's targets of education for all?

In order to address these and related questions, world experience has been reviewed and analysed. The book captures a wide canvas in which basic education has been defined as 'education addressed to both adults and children. It includes primary, junior secondary and programmes with alternative curricula such as basic health, nutrition, family planning, literacy, agriculture and other life-related and vocational skills. A quick run through of the content reveals a frame work of four main parts: Introduction, Themes, Application and Conclusion comprising of 13 papers.

Yates and Tilson takes an overview of the ODL models for basic education in different parts of the world. The paper calls for encouraging non-traditional thinking about expanding and improving the quality of basic education.

Unterhalter , Hoppers and Wim Hoppers highlights the gap in the claims made by the planners throughout 1990s and the lack of provision made for basic education.

In part two, various themes have been dealt in five chapters. Anderson and Spronk examine the characteristics of basic education audience in relation to -age, education, gender, location, health, ethnicity, culture and language with the help of world wide case studies.

Siaciwena and O'Rourke discuss the contexts and contents of basic education curriculum. Calling for a balance between coherence, consistency and cost effectiveness, appropriateness, and relevance.

Dodds and Edirisingha outline the diversities of organisation and delivery structures. While Calder and Panda argue for a well-planned evaluation programme as an essential component of any project on distance and basic education.

Harry and Khan review the range of technologies available for ODL and look at some examples from developing countries to illustrate the diversity that exists in practice.

The issues of finance, costs and economics have been dealt with extensively by Orivel who observes that as long GDP per capita remains unequal from one country to another. New Information and Communication Technologies (N1CT) will not emerge as a cost effective alternative to traditional teaching.

The various applications of basic education in ODL have been presented in Part three of the book. Drawing extensively from their field work, Reddi and Dighe in chapter 9 underscore the complexities and challenges in delivering literacy and adult education through ODL.

Pennells and Ezeomah critically analyse the ODL approaches on basic education for refugees and nomads which have had limited impact so far as majority of the learning environments have been face-to-face teaching in schools.

Pridmore and Nduba examine how ODL can build on the synergy between education, health and the environment to yield increased benefits while Jenkins and Sadiman presents a selective and critical world review of open schooling at basic education and the use of ODL to provide basic education for children.

The last chapter captures the wide gamut of issues related to basic education reviewed in the book such as access and reach, costs and efficiency, quality and effectiveness, relevance, redress and NICT. The authors call for a model focussing upon integration of different approaches to improve the reach and delivery, broadening of teacher education, greater usage of radio and emphasis on research and evaluation.

The book is a valuable contribution to the world of ODL and basic education. The contributors of the chapters are highly experienced practitioners in the field of ODL and have covered varied dimensions of the issues in great detail. The work is also laudable on account of its meticulous collection of material presented in the lucid style.This is clearly a source book for those engaged in basic education and ODL fora long time.