Chapter 14

The message of situated knowledges, mode 2, NetPort as an innovation system was spread to Uganda and the Faculty of Technology at Makerere Universuty. The carrier of the message was Dr Peter Okidi Lating. Our cooperation started in issues of locomotives and ended up, so far, in Faculty of Technoscience at Muni University in Uganda. That story needs a book or two of its one. The following chapter is about what one person – the one just mentioned - with an extraordinary driving force, strategic skill, good heart and reliable networks can bring about in a traditional academic context but with a mode 2 approach.

From e-learning to university development in rural Uganda - co-evolution in triple helix processes

To meet the needs

This chapter is focusing on the development of an ICT/GIS175 research centre in Arua district, Uganda, as part of an e-learning research project and linked to the Vision 2025 of Uganda176. The Vision 2025 of Uganda has guided and influenced the development of the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), its revisions and other government programs. It captures a technologically advanced, competitive, self-sustaining and growing economy; a healthy, well educated society with high quality of life; regional integration and international co-operation; harmonious coexistence within a dynamic society where citizenry is responsible, accountable, hardworking and peaceful; effective, participatory and democratic governance; equal opportunities, empowerment and poverty eradication among people.

The implementation of ICT in Uganda is not a question about solely technical transfer from other continents.

Unfortunately, many technological solutions deployed in Africa at large are uprooted from developed countries and in the best cases modified to meet the needs of nations, and in most cases implemented as it is and left to decay before ever been fully utilized. Therefore, African countries need local technological innovations to meet the needs of its people. (Mwamila et al. 2004).

Gulbrandsen (2004) states “that technology development is one of those things which cannot be left to be stirred by market forces alone because of the possible occurrence of the market failure phenomenon and other externalities, which are beyond the control of innovating firms and farms, especially for the less developed countries. Thus, there is a need to inhibit market failure effects by putting in place policies for technology development as well as on the ground collaboration between academia, industry and government for innovation development”.

The chapter takes into account a specific aspect of the development of an e-learning project in Arua district in the North Western part of Uganda, in the West Nile region and in a co-evolving context. It is a particular challenge to practice a multi stakeholder process in Arua as Arua is a remote, insecure and one of the poorest rural districts of Uganda. It is approximately 500 kms from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The district is home to many Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) refugees. Going to Arua is fairly difficult because the road passes through Acholi land where the Lord´s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels can be active. Being very close to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) skirmishes close to the boarders frequently spills over into Arua district.

The pre-story to the e-learning project and its geographical location to Arua started in 2002. A fourth year electrical engineering student at Faculty of Technology (FOT) 177 at Makerere University (MAK) conducted her project on rural ICT sustainability in Uganda. She found ICT Centres to be viable in three rural districts in Uganda - Arua, Bushenyi and Busia.

The main part of the R&D work in this e-learning project is based on the methodologies characterising distributed knowledge processes (Gibbons et al. 1994, Nowotny et al. 2001). The research was anchored in the tradition of action research methodology (Schön 1983) and nowadays referred to as interaction research as well as feminist technoscientific (Trojer 2006).

Situated e-learning

In March 2004 an ICT/GIS178 research team from the Faculty of Technology visited Arua district to follow up on the findings of the engineering student mentioned above. The follow up was further supported by a researcher at FOT, Dr Peter Okidi Lating, started a study in 2004 out of the questions why there were so few female students at FOT and why so few students – males and females - at MAK coming from secondary schools in rural areas. More than 80% of Uganda inhabitants of about 35 million people live in rural areas and over 90% of the few female engineering students were in 2004 from the ‘elite’ and advantaged urban schools located in Kampala and its surrounding Districts of Mukono and Wakiso.

In order to illustrate how situated knowledges and results can occur, we need to go into details.

The team met District leaders, Heads of Departments, Head teachers of secondary schools, officials of the District Chamber of Commerce, the Business Community and Women groups. The team also visited Kuluva hospital and some sub-counties in Arua district. Everybody supported the idea of FOT setting up the ICT/GIS Research Centre in Arua. In October 2004 the ICT/GIS team led by professor Tickodri Togboa visited Arua again and addressed the District Council and told them the intention of FOT to set up an ICT/GIS Research Centre in Arua. The District Council supported the idea. In March 2005 the team looked at premises to rent before starting up the ICT/GIS Research Centre and held meetings with local government officials, especially the Acting District Chief Administrative Officer and the District Information Officer. The team also visited Internet cafes and FM radio stations in Arua. At the end of April 2005 the ICT/GIS team applied for the former Chief Magistrates court buildings in Arua city to be given for use as the ICT/GIS Research Centre. The application was brought to the attention of the District Council, which approved it. The core activities of the e-learning project were now situated at a specific place, from which a number of different learning processes took place.

The main target group for the e-learning project were two advanced level (A-level) girls secondary schools, Muni and Ediofe, and an Ordinary-level (O-level) girls secondary school. This was agreed upon after the researcher Peter Okidi Lating met the District Education Officer in Arua March 2005. Hybrid e-learning tools were developed and implemented. Hybrid e-learning in the context of the project means e-learning, where the main course delivery platform was interactive multimedia CD-ROM and where face-to-face traditional classroom teaching remained. The main reason for an ICT centre (the ICT/GIS Research Centre) in the project was the financial situation in both the secondary schools. Resources for the operational costs of sustaining internet connectivity were not available. A decision was made to deliver content in CD ROM format to the schools and set up an ICT Centre with VSAT internet connectivity179 within the vicinity of the two schools.

In spite of the different approaches of the respective headmistresses of the two secondary schools - not so much to the project as such but to the girl students participating in the project - the girls students were enthusiastic. A number of notable situations happened with the girl students and their teachers during the project. As a very concrete result the analysis of the e-learning project showed 41% of the students in the final year (A-level) passed and were eligible for university admission compared to 0% before without the e-learning tools for girls born and living in Arua (Lating 2009).

The development part and the implementation of the project took place in a parallel process including setting up the ICT/GIS Research Centre in the middle of Arua town. The Centre was opened in June 2006 to the public. A network administrator and a secretary were recruited. ICT coordinators from secondary schools were identified and trained as trainers. Ten second year telecommunications engineering students from FOT were used as teachers. They did their industrial training at the Centre. Up to 1250 people were trained during the period June - August, 2006, in basic ICT skills, internet use and working with e-mails. These included District heads of Departments, secondary school teachers together with their students and the general public.

University as Triple Helix stakeholder

As mentioned above the e-learning project was positioned in an open system for knowledge and technology production. The triple helix model was practiced in Arua, where one of the three cooperating partners was the university. In developing, as well as in developed countries, initiatives for introducing e-learning education most likely come from universities, where we find the skills from higher education including pedagogic skills and the technical knowledge and know how.

Even in a low income country like Uganda the university has resources, which not the other triple helix stakeholders might have to the same extent, namely to

  • take initiatives
  • network on vital levels
  • negotiate with authorities, donors etc.
  • offer facilities
  • develop knowledge and technologies needed
  • develop and offer training
  • long term engagement
  • keep the functional practices and cultures, which have been developed, in spite of fragile political situations.

The co-evolving processes in the project, in which the Faculty of Technology at Makerere University took a substantial part harmonized very well with the third core mission of a university, which in Uganda is formulated as service to society. This mission is strongly linked to the national policy of Uganda in the Poverty Eradication Action Plan.

The initiatives taken and implementation performed by FOT in order to build the fundamentals for the e-learning facilities in Arua are presented and discussed in detail in Lating (2009). The detailed stories what really happened in Arua, i.e. rich sources of situated knowledges can be found in Lating (2011).

Government / public sector as Triple Helix stakeholders

The governmental / public sector stakeholders in the e-learning project were:

District and local government officials

  1. Regional District Police Commander’s Office
  2. District Police Commander’s Office
  3. Chief Administrative Officer’s Office
  4. District Medical Officer’s Office
  5. District Forestry Office
  6. Resident District State Attorney’s Office
  7. District Information Office
  8. District Engineer’s Office

Schools

  1. Muni Girls Secondary School
  2. Ediofe Girls Secondary School
  3. Mvara Secondary School
  4. Arua Public Secondary School
  5. Arua Public Primary School
  6. Uganda Christian University, Arua Campus
  7. Arua Vocational Training School
  8. Arua Core Primary Teacher’s College
  9. St. Joseph’s College Ombachi
  10. Anyafio Role Model Secondary School

Hospitals

  1. Arua Hospital
  2. Maracha Hospital

Other Governmental Institutions

  1. National Social Security Fund (NSSF)
  2. Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF)

The numbers of governmental, public stakeholders is impressive and quite unique compared to a Swedish regional context. This fact is a strong sign from the stakeholders for an acknowledged relevance of the e-learning project and its impact in a place like Arua district.

Business sector as Triple Helix stakeholder

Thanks to a qualified anchoring process of the FOT team the business sector of Arua district has been involved in the project. The ICT/GIS Research Centre is offering facilities much needed. The District Chamber of Commerce has been cooperative. The following companies were concerned

West Nile Rural Electrification Company (WENRECo)

Uganda Breweries

Private Sector Initiative (PSI) Uganda

Sumandura Construction Works

Boniface Television Networks

Nile Fm / radio station

Arua One Fm / radio station

Copcoot Uganda /

Westnile Distilleries

Heritage Gardens- hotels business

Multitech Uganda- ICT training business

Kuluva Hospital

Marie Stopes Uganda –Reproductive health provider.

Other Triple Helix stakeholders

Besides the three main stakeholders mentioned above the project and its facilities have also involved other stakeholders and interested partners and individuals. They were

NGOs and CBO’s

Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) Uganda

United Nations High Commission for Refugees

DED /(Community Based Organisation)

Cream Uganda (Community Based Organization)

PAD (Community Based Organization)

PRAFOD (Community Based Organization)

CAFECC ((A Sudanese Community Based Organization)

World Vision Uganda

WENDWOA (A women organization helping widows and helpless children)

Right To Play

NSEA / Needs Service Education Agency >

Others

  1. Researchers
  2. Students doing online courses in and outside Uganda
  3. Visitors to Arua
  4. Traveling Agents
  5. Students from schools outside Arua District mostly during holidays
  6. Community workers
  7. Indigenous people who mostly use the internet for communication with their relatives and friends in and outside Uganda.

The Centre trained students from West Nile Districts, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. District leaders from other Districts in West Nile (Koboko, Yumbe, Nebi, Adjumani, Moyo) came for the training on weekends.

Arua and impacts

The decision to put up an ICT centre had a huge impact of not only the town and its surrounding districts but also to municipalities on the other side of the nearby border with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.

The number of stakeholders is impressive and quite unique compared to a Swedish regional context. This is a strong sign from the stakeholders for an acknowledged relevance of the e-learning project and its impact in a place like Arua District (Lating et al. 2007).

In 2010 the Uganda Government decided to start establishing a new university in Arua - Muni University. The ICT/GIS Research Centre is one of the seeds for starting the development process of the university. Muni University was established as a Public university in 2013 by Statutory Instrument, 2013 No. 31, in accordance with the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act 2006 as amended. The first faculty developed is named Faculty of Technoscience.

Institutional systems are full of fuzzy areas and things between the lines that are difficult to grasp, activate and study (Haraway 1997a, Argyris 1991). To work in processes including culturally different institutional systems like government, academia, private sector amplifies these challenges. The contributions towards a functional and sustainable system, which the Arua project illustrates, underline conditions required by good learning environments and learning processes. The open minds of the actors involved, a jointly identified goal and presence of the actors in the context of application show it is possible to learn and co-evolve.

There are always challenges in a triple helix process, and the one in Arua is no exception. The main ones refer to the following.

I. There is a policy gap existing in Uganda as there is no policy concerning e-learning and ICT integration in school curriculum. The capacity for ICT skills and pedagogic development is very low among teachers and school leaders. The ICT/GIS Research Centre had to start with very basic skill development of teachers and other staff.

II. Some district leaders did not see the relevance of the ICT/GIS Research Centre from the beginning and did not accept it. The time is a quality here. Repeated meetings and discussions had to be conducted. When the centre was in place and could demonstrate its objectives and facilities concretely it was easier for the district leaders to understand and appreciate its advantages.

III. The issue of misconception is a critical one. One district information officer kept on interpreting the ICT/GIS Research Centre as belonging to his governmental department. He appeared in the centre and gave directives to the centre staff. This highlights the mission of the centre to be a neutral arena and sustain that neutrality. The centre is clearly a non profit organization, however, struggling very hard to find ways to be long-term sustainable.

IV. The challenges linked to the business sector have been minor. One reason might be the good relationship with the Mayor of Arua town, who was also the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce.

The paramount result of the collaboration of the university, district and local government and the business sector in Arua is the ICT / GIS Research Centre. The project has shown exceptionally good results in an unexpected short time.

What are the success factors? One of them is the frame of understanding in the triple helix model, which has been translated into practical work in Arua district. The internal university process, more precisely among the participating researchers and teachers from FOT, is characterized by moving from strict disciplinary research to interdisciplinary research and further on to transdisciplinary research and development. The understanding of transdisciplinarity is here including knowledge production in the context of application and implication. The triple helix process will not start working without a very important function, which constitutes a broker or facilitator. That person must have trust among all the main stakeholders and be able to move around in all sectors, anchoring the project, get people moving etc. In this e-learning project that person has been the researcher Dr Peter Okidi Lating from FOT.

The mindset of the involved partners seems to be changing from linear development mindset to collaborative development mindset. This transformation of mindsets is a condition for a triple helix process in operation. Another way of expressing the relation between the stakeholders is a change from strict contract negotiation to co-evolution.

Increasingly open systems for knowledge production require a focus on the direct reality-producing effects of research – its context of implication (Nowotny et al. 2001). According to Donna Haraway (1997b, p. 68) there is neither time nor space to develop reserch’s relations with society “… after all the serious epistemological action is over”. Neither sustainability nor other values that we would like to realise can be secured retrospectively. Our technoscientific research is positioning its projects and work to promote more complex and integrated understandings of the relationship between research and society in this grey area that Nowotny et al. (2001) ascribe to a dedifferentiation of the social spheres of modernity.

Previous

Chapter 13

Up next

Chapter 15