USAID and the Eritrean government funded this initiative to establish computer laboratories in selected rural secondary schools with the eventual goal of expanding access to electronic education to all of Eritrea. The project plan developed by our consultant, in collaboration with USAID, also included a teacher education and the extension of the computer laboratories beyond the classroom to school management and perhaps community use.
The initial phase of the project proposal was to place computer laboratories in fifteen secondary schools. By developing a basic computer network and training staff to provide education on the use of ICTs, students will gain educational advantages that come with expanded ICT access, thus strengthening the school system.
The project design included leveraging a development program from the World Bank, taking the 15 to 20 schools that were to be sponsored by USAID and scaling this to near 50 schools, covering two thirds of all secondary schools in the country. The project included the design of the data network, procurement plans for computer labs in each school, sample curriculum development for teacher training and classroom integration along with linkages across schools for interactive student exchanges and communication.
