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Networks and CD-ROMs Aid Research, Development and Education in Zimbabwe
Clearly, access to information, experts and other students via
telecommunications would be a great benefit to rural schools,
enabling their students to progress as far as talent and
determination will take them. Teachers would also get expert
help to questions they do not have the resource materials to
answer.
An Easy Way to Link Rural Schools
How can we begin to give rural schools access to the world's
knowledge and resources in this way? In the short-term,
provide at least some with access to telecommunications. The
ultimate needs however, are supplying power, high-quality
phone connections and at least one computer to as many rural
schools as possible.
A number of missions and other NGOs use existing rural phone
lines for e-mail via MANGO or Zimbix. In some places they are
upgrading poor-quality phone lines with microwave equipment.
I suggest that organizations with e-mail offer to coordinate with
local schools to relay e-mail to educational networks such as
Global Lab, World Classroom, National Geographic Kids or
informal contacts with other schools in Zimbabwe. This would
give the school, via the organization's facilities, power, use of a
phone line, use of a computer, and above all, access to the
expertise to make it work.
Will Networking Work in
Zimbabwe?
A Scientific American article, October 1993, entitled "A Digital
Fix for the Third World?" cautions that "For all its promise, the
allure of skipping over several generations of technology has
fallen into disfavor in some circles."6 Problems cited were those
resulting from a lack of supporting technology, similar to steel
mills incapacitated by lack of transport for ore or finished
products; and lack of affordability to masses of people, as in the
case of Ghana where installing a phone handset costs more than
a year's average salary.
Is it therefore useless to try to use computers,
telecommunications and networks in Zimbabwe to enhance
research education and development work? No; for a number
of reasons, networking can thrive in Zimbabwe.
Lower Hardware Costs: Costs of computers in Zimbabwe,
formerly inflated by tariffs and requirements to pay in "forex"
foreign currency, have come down dramatically in the last two
years; relaxations of these restrictions were part of an Economic
Structural Adjustment Program. Costs for computers used for
education or research, on which duty and surcharges can be
forgiven, are now very close to costs of computers elsewhere.
(PCs for private or business use are subject to 60% import
duty, 20% surcharge and 10% sales tax.)
