A Snapshot of Distance Education in Africa

Dr Rashid Aderinoye is an Associate Professor in the Department of Adult Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria with specialisation in the areas of literacy and open distance learning. He is currently the Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in the application of ICT to Adult and Non-formal Education in the Department. He has participated in studies in his areas of expertise for UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank. He has to his credit many publications in journals and chapters in books.

Richard Siaciwena is the Project Advisor for the Capacity Building in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Project with the SADC Secretariat in Botswana. Previously, he worked for many years as the Director of Distance Education at the University of Zambia.

Clayton R. Wright, PhD, has been actively involved with a number of international collaborative efforts aimed at advancing educational systems through the use of learning technologies. He gained international experience with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Commonwealth of Learning, the Commonwealth Secretariat, United Nations Children's Fund, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Dr. Wright has led workshops about distance education, curriculum development, instructional design, and professional development, and conducted educational evaluations in many countries, including Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, The Gambia, Hungary, India, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Nigeria, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Switzerland, and Thailand. Recently, he completed in-depth distance education and design workshops for educational leaders from Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Pakistan, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. E-mail: crwr77@gmail.com