There are few African countries in which the state bets on education through technological means. In this small number, the country that is often cited because of a genocide appears very well positioned by the feats of its top leader, President Paul Kagame, also digital president.
At a recent event, the Rwandan president was honored by other African presidents for being ambitious in his attempts to push Rwanda into the digital age. These attempts are notable because Rwanda recently signed an agreement to 140 million USD (kz: 135.75.954.484,20) with Korea Telecom to provide internet 4G to 95% of citizens within three years. But although 5.000 km of fiber optic cable are being installed in the country, only 8,3% Rwandans are connected to the internet.
At the event, the Minister of ICT and Youth Jean Philbert Nsengimana gave a demonstration of the internet 4G, with a test in which she reached the speed of 90 Mb / s, while the 3G network only managed the meager 0.5Mb / s. According to him for education this demonstrates the difference between being able to study texts online and allowing students to access multimedia content and participate fully in online classrooms, that is, e-Learning.
MANY THEORY AND MANY PRACTICES
This is exactly what has happened in Rwanda, much theory and practice at the same level. This fact can be verified with the recent project implemented, the smart Kigali, which was launched last month (September) and with it access to Wi-Fi networks was made available throughout the capital including schools, taxi stop and hotels as well as in public buses. This means that waiting time at stops, and the time spent on buses can be better utilized by citizens.
At the same event, IFC Vice President Jean Philippe Prosper praised the country's efforts to make progress in the ICT sector:
Rwanda is an example of commitment and dedication to reform. I really believe that African countries can learn from each other and do not always have to look beyond the continent examples of best practice.
The success of Rwanda's implementation of another project called One Laptop Per Child, allowed 200 children in 400 schools to receive computers, a project that inspired Kenya, and its president, Uhuru Kenyatta added the following:
We are trying to imitate our brothers and sisters from Rwanda by introducing laptops to our children.
THE PROJECT IS EVEN SOMETHING SEEN BY SOME
According to Kagame, some have used their decision to invest in ICT as a reason to accuse him of investing in luxuries, but he does not think this way:
"In fact, ICTs have played a very important role, because they are part of the infrastructure that has been invested to cover all sectors and make it our own brand and contribution in the country"
He further added that ICTs are an absolute necessity and should be considered a key element of the country's infrastructure as a utility such as water and electricity.
Source: Wired
