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In line with the African Virtual University’s objectives of building and sustaining partnerships with institutions that can support its Mission, the university attended the Online Educa in Berlin from the 1st to the 3rd of December 2010. The Online Educa is the largest global eLearning conference for the corporate, education and public service sector. Here organisations showcased their outstanding virtual accomplishments and sought partnerships with like minded organisations to reach wider audiences with their products and services.
It was no different for the AVU.
At the conference, the AVU showcased the Multinational Support project which is an initiative funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and partly by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Somalia. The project's overall objective is to strengthen the capacity of the AVU and its network of institutions to deliver and manage quality ICT assisted education and training opportunities in selected African countries. Some of the outcomes showcased at the conference from this project included the Open distance and eLearning centres, the Teacher Education Virtual consortium, the Scholarship Fund and the Open Education resources at AVU.
The Scholarship fund was of special interest at the conference. Despite AVU’s large gains in the area of Virtual Education, a huge need still exists in providing quality education and many people especially females, would like to get an education to further their abilities for economic empowerment but are restricted by the lack of funds to pay for their studies. It is in this regard that the AVU scholarship fund was initiated with the aim of supporting disadvantaged learners, both female and male. In 2010 alone, AVU gave 579 scholarships to females and those from disadvantaged groups. As we showcased our work at the Online Educa, AVU was calling upon donors and individuals to support this scholarship fund at http://www.avu.org/scholarship .
The AVU also showcased its services offered through the Virtual Campus for Development and Peace (www.avu.org/vcdp) where AVU is focusing on developing courses in the following subject matter areas: Renewable energies & Food Security.
At the AVU’s exhibition stand, visitors representing over 50 nationalities from around the world came to see what the AVU had to offer. The visitors learnt about the AVU’s history, the extensive eLearning network that the AVU has established (the largest in Africa) and its core strength of working beyond language, technological and cultural barriers. Many wanted to be contacted by the AVU for potential partnerships and the AVU team ensured that their contacts were written down for further processing of their queries by the various departments at the AVU.
Because of the strategic way with which AVU has positioned itself in the virtual learning world, it is important the AVU continues to remain a self sustaining organisation that will go on to bridge the gap that exists in education in Africa. One of the AVU’s goals is to implement a fund raising strategy in support of all of its objectives with focus on African Governments, the Private Sector and International Organizations. By attending the Online Educa conference, the AVU met potential partners who will in future help to further the AVU’s mission to facilitate the use of open, distance and eLearning in African Institutions of tertiary education.
To the Editor
The African Virtual University is a Pan-African inter-governmental organisation established by charter with the mandate of significantly increasing access to quality higher education and training in Africa through the innovative use of information and communication technologies. Seven African governments, Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Mozambique have signed a charter establishing the AVU as an intergovernmental organisation. The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a regional Office in Dakar Senegal.
For more information, contact Dr Bakary Diallo on +254 20 2528333 or 3861458/59 rector@avu.org
Website www.avu.org
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