Feedback
From UgaBYTES Collaboration wikipedia
Feedback from telecentre.org On day four of the staff exchange program, networks leaders talked to senior program officers at telecentre.org including Shaddy Basheermad who is in charge of efforts to establish the telecentre academy and Meddie Mayanaja who is in charge of telecentre networks.
From: Ndaula Sulah [1] Sent: February 21, 2008 11:11 AM To: Meddie Mayanja; shaddy.shadrach@gmail.com; B. Shadrach
Subject: Academy and staff exchange conf. call:Today
Dear Meddie and Shaddy, East African telecentre leaders discuss to the issues of the academy and staff exchange. We are inviting you to conference call team on +256414370163, to share and discuss the resolutions. Please confirm your availability, especially at about 4:3O pm Uganda time.
Best Regards, --- Sulah
On 2/21/08, Meddie Mayanja <mmayanja@idrc.ca> wrote:
Sulah, hi
Sorry I forgot to send you this doc earlier... I hope we can still talk on Thursday.
In addition to whats described here, we have network strengthening resources. Limited funds to help network hire local consultants for developing plans and strategies that are concrete.
This support will help to telecentre networks who wish to improve their operational capacity and/or enhance their sustainability by developing better (a) strategic plan that broaden services, partners participation and resources base, (b) business planning that diversify services, strengthen management and increase opportunities for sustainability (c) high-value services that increase availability of on-demand support to telecentres and their overall sustainability and (d) distribution channel design for products and services that telecentres can use and which networks can generate resources from.
Telecentre networks shall be required to extensively document and share experiences and outcomes through the telecentre.org website, targeted web outreach, and key discussion lists by audio, video, images, and text blogs. The research project is expected to strengthen telecentre networks around the world and broaden the telecentre community.
These networks can take advantage - but must be registered first.
Meddie Mayanja Senior Program Officer telecentre.org, ICT4D
RE: Academy and staff exchange conf. call:Today
Meddie Mayanja to bshadrach, Ndaula, shaddy.shadrach Feb 22 Shaddy,
I had an opportunity to conf with the team as well. I think it was a great meeting listening to the outcomes and how they have been shared across the discussion lists. Thanks to the UgaBYTES team for the planning and sharing with us all the vibe throughout the week.
Best, Meddie
Meddie Mayanja
Senior Program Officer telecentre.org, IDRC Canada tel: (613) 236-6163, ext 2604
From: B. Shadrach
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 3:31 AM
To: 'Ndaula Sulah'; bshadrach@idrc.org.in
Cc: 'Meddie Mayanja'; shaddy.shadrach@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Academy and staff exchange conf. call:Today
Thanks Sulah. I enjoyed talking to you and colleagues there. I look forward to receiving the report/minutes at the soonest. Thanks again Shaddy
From: Ndaula Sulah [2]
Sent: February 22, 2008 11:03 AM
To: bshadrach@idrc.org.in
Cc: Meddie Mayanja; shaddy.shadrach@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Academy and staff exchange conf. call:Today
Dear Shaddy and Meddie,
Thanks for your time you spent with the East African Network leader yesterday. The conversation cemented regional commitments with the global values. The link to the wiki will be shared on Monday. Shaddy thanks for accepting to add your expertise and that of telecentre.org to the academy efforts in Africa.
--- Sulah
Feedback from the conference calls
Shaddy Basheermad had a conference call with the network leaders. The discussion centred around the Telecentre Academy which UgaBYTES plans to start in the East Africa region with support from the national telecentre networks. After a debrief of the discussions, he had three major questions:
Do we have the resources needed to reach the objectives? How will the telecentre academy operate and what are its functions at national level? Do we need support from telecentre.org?
His feedback
Look at the training resources in Africa eg who is doing what so as to have a strating point
Shaddy and Pete Cranston accepted to join the UgaBYTES team to develop the training needs assessment guidelines He advised national networks to look into the training needs assessment and develop resources and look at what other resources are needed
Training needs: Look at the Indian telecentre academy Look at what the PhiliCeCnet academy in Philipines has staretd so far
Network leaders asked Shaddy to provide the experience of other networks elsewhere
His feedback:
Telecentre.org is encouraging telecentre networks to develop the academy but is not dictating how it should be done. Telecentre.org will only provide guidelines The academy can complement existing programs
At the global level, come up with certification program. Avoid duplicating expenses since the academy is both online and offline. Eg download programs so that those without internet can still benefit.
There is need to the implementing team to provide some procedural issues eg what kind of guidelines should be provided at global level to improve training. But it should not be a top down initiative.
In the immediate future, telecentre.org plans to bring together all people planning to start the telecentre academies. There is need to come up with the resource persons
Support: telecentre.org will provide small grants to enable the academy take off
Call from telecentre.org’s senior program officer – Meddie Mayanja
Mayanja wanted to know the status of the networks in the East Africa region and gain feedback from the discussions on the staff exchange program.
During the discussion, it emerged that all networks in the region apart from UgaBYTES don’t have a legal status. Meddies input: There is need to have the networks registered as soon as possible. Once the legal status is obtained, then a financial management system should be put in place for example ensuring the network has an accounts system There is also need to develop services for the telecentres. It is these services that one can write a proposal for support Telecentre.org is willing to offer support to the networks
