Microsoft, British Council push to bridge the Divide

COMPUTING

Microsoft is partnering with the British Council in Africa on an Africa Digital Schools Project.

The programme is aimed at helping bridge the digital divide in six sub-Saharan countries, by taking new technology and ICT training to African schools. Each party has contributed USD1 million to the project. The programme, “BADILIKO,” will address five key areas: e-learning, capacity building, hardware, software and connectivity.

The project will build 80 digital hubs at schools across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda using Windows MultiPoint Server.  The project is expected to train more than 20,000 school leaders and teachers and provide more than 100,000 learners and communities with digital access, while promoting literacy throughout the region.

Mark Matunga, the Microsoft Regional Education Manager for East and Southern Africa, says that greater uptake of ICT in learning dovetails with the software giant’s vision of bridging digital divide in Africa.

”Educators should embrace technology to pass knowledge to students and boost their aptitude in relevant areas of study.We are encouraging more teachers to be trained in ICT skills.”

The British Council works in the areas of English, Arts, and Education and Society. It is the world's leading cultural relations organization, engaging more than 30 million people last year.