Equatorial Guinea 
report
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Overview
In Equatorial Guinea, there is no specific policy concerning ICT, although attempts to improve management in the Ministry of Telecommunications are being made. This could help facilitate the adoption of such a policy in the near future. The efforts to strengthen the presence of ICT in communities and in schools are primarily made by non-governmental organizations, universities, and other actors. They collaborate on projects that make computer equipment, training, and management available and accessible to students, educators, and members of the community. These initiatives take the form of computer labs in schools or media centers in the community.
The population in Equatorial Guinea has abruptly shifted from the agricultural era to the age of computer and Internet and has not had time to integrate audiovisual technologies. This might explain the deficiency of this technology in other countries' contributions. The country's geographic configuration (part island and part continental) as well as its demographic configuration (low population) will sooner or later oblige the population to implement ICT and distance training.
Country Profile
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a mainland enclave between Cameroon and Gabon and two islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This fragmented country covers a surface area of 28,051 square kilometers with a population of over 540,000, of which 67% live in rural areas. Most of the 90,000 islanders live in Malabo, the capital city. A former Spanish colony, it gained its independence in October 1968, and it remains to date the only country in Africa with Spanish as an official language.
The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of the GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although Equatorial Guinea depended on cocoa production for hard currency earnings prior to independence, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth. However, the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture.
The Education System
The education system is organized into cycles and degrees. The levels of education are preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education. The degrees are the baccalaureate and advanced degrees in higher education. The institutional structure of the school system is as follows:
· The pre-school cycle, for children under six years, is divided into two parts: nursery school and kindergarten. Pre-school education consists of games, creative activities, etc.
· The primary cycle consists of five years of study at two levels. The first level is for children aged six to 10, and the second for children aged 10 to 12.
· The secondary cycle is devoted to preparing for the baccalaureate and to professional training. The baccalaureate is obtained after two cycles of four and three years of study.
· The advanced cycle exists at three levels: the first is three years; the second, devoted to specialized study, is two years; and the third is three years, devoted to research. Distance education is a means of education that offers opportunities to pursue and continue academic study, in any circumstances.
Infrastructure
The Ministry of Technology, Posts, and Telecommunications, and an Office of Telecommunication Regulation (ORTEL) is set up and is preparing two documents on interconnection and numbering. At the sub-regional level there is a harmonizing project that is akin to the OHADA (Organization pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires), an organization for the harmonization of business law in Africa. Created in 1993 in Port Louis (Mauritius), the organization is made up of 16 African countries, and the telecommunications project is well accepted by Equatorial Guinea. As well, basic regional modern principles of regulation of telecommunications have been implemented as defined by the International Telecommunications Union.
According to the International Telecommunications Union, in 2003 there were 9,600 fixed telephone lines in the country, and 1.77 lines per 1,000 people.
ICTs in Education
In Equatorial Guinea, education and distance training is regulated by the Law of Education, section 6, article 46, which states: “Distance education is one of the educational tools that makes it possible to pursue and/or continue educational studies in any circumstance.”
Current ICT Initiatives and Projects
Project: Prépaly
A recent initiative was enacted on a platform called Prépaly (interactive multimedia training for PREParing high school students (LYcéens) in advanced scientific and technological studies). Its main objectives are to:
- Respond to the needs of young people in terms of information in science and technology;
- Give them basic training in computers and multimedia that will be their key to a successful academic career, and which will help prepare them for the world outside of school;
- Reinforce the ties between secondary and higher education establishments in the north with those in the south, as well as to reinforce the ties between schools and academic institutions in different areas of the south; and
- Facilitate the creation of multimedia content for teaching in francophone Africa.
This plan is clearly based on the organization, production, and diffusion of knowledge and know-how from higher education towards secondary education, through ICT in education.
Project: The French Cooperation
The French Cooperation supports the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE) in their approaches by using ICT to develop centers for teaching and accessing digital teaching resources.
The Malabo Centre, open since 2002, runs a computer lab of seven computer stations, all connected to high-speed Internet. It is located in the UNGE Board of Education. The Bata Centre, open since October 2005, runs a computer lab of five computer stations, which will soon be connected to high-speed Internet. It is located on the campus of the Teacher Training Academy.
Project: Resafad-ICTE
Resafad-ICTE has been operating in Equatorial Guinea since July 2002. The initiative has created some multimedia centers that host several servers, a training room equipped with a dozen work stations, and a room to produce educational resources. The centre functions through a network, with branches located in the country linked with centers in other countries. Resafad- ICTE currently possesses two multimedia centers hosted by the National University of Equatorial Guinea. One is in the Board of Education of Malabo and the second is in the Teacher Training Academy in Bata.
· Organization(s): Resafad-ICTE, National University of Equatorial Guinea
· Funding source: Cultural Cooperation and Action Service (SCAC)
profile
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
Overview
In Equatorial Guinea, there is no specific policy concerning ICT, although attempts to improve management in the Ministry of Telecommunications are being made. This could help facilitate the adoption of such a policy in the near future. The efforts to strengthen the presence of ICT in communities and in schools are primarily made by non-governmental organizations, universities, and other actors. They collaborate on projects that make computer equipment, training, and management available and accessible to students, educators, and members of the community. These initiatives take the form of computer labs in schools or media centers in the community.
The population in Equatorial Guinea has abruptly shifted from the agricultural era to the age of computer and Internet and has not had time to integrate audiovisual technologies. This might explain the deficiency of this technology in other countries' contributions. The country's geographic configuration (part island and part continental) as well as its demographic configuration (low population) will sooner or later oblige the population to implement ICT and distance training.
Country Profile
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a mainland enclave between Cameroon and Gabon and two islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This fragmented country covers a surface area of 28,051 square kilometers with a population of over 540,000, of which 67% live in rural areas. Most of the 90,000 islanders live in Malabo, the capital city. A former Spanish colony, it gained its independence in October 1968, and it remains to date the only country in Africa with Spanish as an official language.
The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of the GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although Equatorial Guinea depended on cocoa production for hard currency earnings prior to independence, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth. However, the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture.
The Education System
The education system is organized into cycles and degrees. The levels of education are preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education. The degrees are the baccalaureate and advanced degrees in higher education. The institutional structure of the school system is as follows:
· The pre-school cycle, for children under six years, is divided into two parts: nursery school and kindergarten. Pre-school education consists of games, creative activities, etc.
· The primary cycle consists of five years of study at two levels. The first level is for children aged six to 10, and the second for children aged 10 to 12.
· The secondary cycle is devoted to preparing for the baccalaureate and to professional training. The baccalaureate is obtained after two cycles of four and three years of study.
· The advanced cycle exists at three levels: the first is three years; the second, devoted to specialized study, is two years; and the third is three years, devoted to research. Distance education is a means of education that offers opportunities to pursue and continue academic study, in any circumstances.
Infrastructure
The Ministry of Technology, Posts, and Telecommunications, and an Office of Telecommunication Regulation (ORTEL) is set up and is preparing two documents on interconnection and numbering. At the sub-regional level there is a harmonizing project that is akin to the OHADA (Organization pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires), an organization for the harmonization of business law in Africa. Created in 1993 in Port Louis (Mauritius), the organization is made up of 16 African countries, and the telecommunications project is well accepted by Equatorial Guinea. As well, basic regional modern principles of regulation of telecommunications have been implemented as defined by the International Telecommunications Union.
According to the International Telecommunications Union, in 2003 there were 9,600 fixed telephone lines in the country, and 1.77 lines per 1,000 people.
ICTs in Education
In Equatorial Guinea, education and distance training is regulated by the Law of Education, section 6, article 46, which states: “Distance education is one of the educational tools that makes it possible to pursue and/or continue educational studies in any circumstance.”
Current ICT Initiatives and Projects
|
Project: Prépaly A recent initiative was enacted on a platform called Prépaly (interactive multimedia training for PREParing high school students (LYcéens) in advanced scientific and technological studies). Its main objectives are to:
This plan is clearly based on the organization, production, and diffusion of knowledge and know-how from higher education towards secondary education, through ICT in education. |
|
Project: The French Cooperation The French Cooperation supports the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE) in their approaches by using ICT to develop centers for teaching and accessing digital teaching resources. The Malabo Centre, open since 2002, runs a computer lab of seven computer stations, all connected to high-speed Internet. It is located in the UNGE Board of Education. The Bata Centre, open since October 2005, runs a computer lab of five computer stations, which will soon be connected to high-speed Internet. It is located on the campus of the Teacher Training Academy. |
|
Project: Resafad-ICTE Resafad-ICTE has been operating in Equatorial Guinea since July 2002. The initiative has created some multimedia centers that host several servers, a training room equipped with a dozen work stations, and a room to produce educational resources. The centre functions through a network, with branches located in the country linked with centers in other countries. Resafad- ICTE currently possesses two multimedia centers hosted by the National University of Equatorial Guinea. One is in the Board of Education of Malabo and the second is in the Teacher Training Academy in Bata. · Organization(s): Resafad-ICTE, National University of Equatorial Guinea · Funding source: Cultural Cooperation and Action Service (SCAC) |
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+ National education and ICT policy (6 available subcategories; 5 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Equipment, connectivity and access (8 available subcategories; 7 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Teacher-training (12 available subcategories; 9 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Impact on educators and teaching (1 available subcategory; 0 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Impact of ICT on learners and learning (3 available subcategories; 0 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Institution management and ICT (10 available subcategories; 5 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Policy related to equity (1 available subcategory; 1 has data, including 0 documents)
+ Cultural and content sensitivity (1 available subcategory; 0 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Special education (1 available subcategory; 1 has data, including 0 documents)
- Auxiliary documents
No document is available.
Record updated on Tuesday December 22 2009 15:19:26 EST.
Record yet to be validated.
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