ICT capacity building support to strengthen higher education and research in Zambia

Sector

Higher education

Project budget

The maximum budget for this project is € 2,250,000.

Organisations

This project has been developed by the Zambian Higher Education and Research Network (ZAMREN). The tender for this project expired on 15 November 2010.

Nuffic has awarded this tender to the University of Groningen, which has formed a consortium with VU University Amsterdam, Radboud University and Ubuntunet Alliance.

Project description

The government of Zambia plans to introduce and expand alternative ways to provide higher education using modern ICT applications and e-learning. This ICT capacity building project will strengthen the Zambia Research and Education Network (ZAMREN). This association of Zambian public universities is based on the realisation that higher education and research require easy access to very large amounts of information.

This calls for an extensive network with an adequate bandwidth which is managed by staff with the right ICT skills and knowledge. This project will build on the strategy of uniting the existing institutions by putting their resources together under the ZAMREN banner.

Such an effort is in line with other countries which have already formed National Research and Education Networks. The overall objective of this project is to improve the quality and efficiency of higher education and to enhance research and resource sharing among research and education institutions in Zambia through ICT capacity building and strengthening of the Zambia Research and Education Network.

Objectives

The specific objectives are to:

• implement needs assessments and create conditions for increased use of ICT to improve quality and efficiency of teaching and learning at Zambian Higher Education institutions;
• develop ZAMREN's organisational, administrative and technical capacity to support member organisations in being connected and making full use of available education and research networks;
• review and develop policy plans for ICT implementation strategies at the level of the Zambian Higher Education institutions;
• improve internet access and interconnectivity between local research and education institutions and regional institutions;
• improve the provision of ICT facilities, service delivery and training for academic, admin and management staff and students of ZAMREN member organisations;
• contribute to a better use of internet, intranet and other ICT applications in higher education programmes by ZAMREN member organisations through new and revised curricula with ICT-based and e-learning modalities.