Senegal’s president, Abdoulaye Wade, has outlined his vision for radical change in African education, and criticised European governments for restricting access for African students to educational institutions in their contries.
Speaking at the eLearning Africa conference, a major African conference on online education, the 85-year old President said that technological innovation now offers African students access to the best educational institutions in the world.
Says Wade: ”At a time when Europe closes its doors, eLearning is the answer for African students.”
The president also outlined his plans for advancement of higher education, and emphasised that information and communication technologies could accelerate the learning process.
He also spoke of his determination to improve standards by ensuring that African universities obtain internationally recognised accreditation.
President Wade was instrumental in bringing ‘eLearning Africa’ to Senegal. Over 1300 delegates, including ministers, officials, academics and business people from all over Africa and beyond, have gathered in Dakar for the conference under the President’s patronage to exchange ideas about expanding educational technologies in their communities.
The conference will conclude on Friday, 29 May 2009, with ‘the eLearning Africa Debate,’ in which delegates will discuss whether technology alone can push African education to an international level.
