Welcome
Welcome to “e-Taalim”, a free and independent Professional Weblog providing insightful information about the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Media for lifelong learning.
“e-Taalim” stands for “electronic Taalim” and “Taalim” means “Education” in Arabic.
This Weblog, available initially in three languages (English, Arabic and French) is dedicated to executives and professionals in Africa and the Arab countries, aiming to offer them the latest news, trends and initiatives in corporate e-learning and blended learning as well as information about e-learning institutions whether they are academic or professional, online educational resources and related technology solutions.
Whether you are an executive, a professional, a training Manager, a learning professional or a decision maker, this Weblog will help you take the right decision for you and your staff’s coming professional development step.
Hope you will find here what will attract you and lead to the enhancement of your professional and personal development as well as the empowerment of your organization in today’s ever changing, fast-paced environment.
Situation
There is a lack of information and awareness about using ICT and Media for lifelong learning in Africa and the Arab countries.
In Africa, there are only three virtual Universities, one is in Tunisia, one in Senegal and the third is the African Virtual University (AVU) which was initially launched in Washington in 1997 as a World Bank project. Five African Governments, Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Cote d’Ivoire signed a Charter establishing the AVU as an Inter-Governmental Organization. The AVU has its headquarters in Kenya.
Concerning the Arab countries and according to the Arab knowledge report 2009, launched on October 28th, 2009 by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation which is the result of collaboration between the foundation and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Arab World contains 6 virtual Universities.
If we compare this to the USA for instance, the gap is too large as, the number of online Universities and colleges is around 200.
Also, quality digital content is not sufficient compared to other regions of the world.
For example, by the end of 2008 only 1% of content on the Internet was in Arabic according to The World Economic Forum.
Objectives
- Participate in bridging the digital divide and closing the content gap between the African/Arab countries and the developed countries
- Participate in raising awareness about the use of ICT and Media for education within the African and Arab countries’ corporations and organizations including NGOs and CSOs
- Offer the latest information about corporate e-learning and blended learning for executives and professionals
- Establish an African/Arab e-learning community that will share and diffuse knowledge
