Madagascar/Maroantsetra
Demographics
Maroantsetra School
New Library- CLAC- Under the direction of the Mayor we were able to setup the XOs each afternoon from 2:30 until 4:30. During the school break there were as many as 70 children appearing. When School started again in October the Wednesday session drew a number of children. Otherwise 2 local schools have invited us to bring the computers for afternoon sessions.
City Description
City: Maroantsetra
Location: 15°26′0″S[1]49°45′0″E, Maroantsetra is the regional capital
Province: Toamasina (Tamatave)
Nearest Airport: Maroantsetra Regional Airport (WMN)
Road Access: Maroantsetra is connected to Toamasina (Tamatave) and then to Antananarivo (national capital) by RN5, a very difficult road network that is unpassable during times of the year.
Technology: Electricity comes from a generation and is patchily run throughout the day, often going through day or weeklong blackouts with very limited service. In January of 2006, cell phone networks were introduced to Maroantsetra but internet was not available until September, 2008. As of now, internet is so expensive and caters only to foreign tourists and local elite.
Postal Address:
Rasolofoniaina Be Jean Rololph Lot Z1-056 Ankiakandrefana Maroantsetra (512) Madagascar
Province
Toamasina (Tamatave)
Nearest Airport
Maroantsetra Regional Airport (WMN)
Road Access
Maroantsetra is connected to Toamasina (Tamatave) and then to Antananarivo (national capital) by RN5, a very difficult road network that is unpassable during times of the year.
Technology
Electricity comes from a generation and is patchily run throughout the day, often going through day or weeklong blackouts with very limited service. In January of 2006, cell phone networks were introduced to Maroantsetra but internet was not available until September, 2008. As of now, internet is so expensive and caters only to foreign tourists and local elite.
Postal Address
Rasolofoniaina Be Jean Rololph
Lot Z1-056Ankiakandrefana
Maroantsetra (512)
Madagascar
School Description
School
School: Lycee Mangarivotra (High School)
Photos: none available yet
Video: none available yet
Building: The building consists of two long, one-floor buildings with a total of 8 classrooms. Each classroom is equipped with shared desks and a large blackboard. Student Targeting: The best way to target students in this city with such a large student network but still non-existent computer skills is to target afterschool programs for advanced students that may be interested in learning computer technology. Afterschool programs typically have approximately 12-20 students which is ideal with the number of XO computers which we have collected.
Teachers: more information to come once we have found an interested teacher. The school is run by the provincial government of Toamasina (Tamatave) but locally administered by the Maroantsetra school council.
Photos
none available yet
Video
none available yet
Building
The building consists of two long, one-floor buildings with a total of 8 classrooms. Each classroom is equipped with shared desks and a large blackboard.
Student Targeting
The best way to target students in this city with such a large student network but still non-existent computer skills is to target after school programs for advanced students that may be interested in learning computer technology. After school programs typically have approximately 12-20 students which is ideal with the number of XO computers which we have collected.
Teachers
Coming soon...
Impediments
- Electricity, as described above, is a major impediment to this project although with a small computer base, solar panels may be ideal for running these XOs.
- Internet access, as described above, is locally provided by a range of cell phone networks. There is very patchy signal quality for cell phones and Internet is slow.
- No school in this city has a computer-based curriculum which makes the transition to a computer-mediated environment difficult.
Deployment
Note: This project has not deployed any XOs as yet.
This deployment strategy will serve as a pilot approach in an after school program which, if successful, and funding permitted, can then be mainstreamed into the public school system. This will require a smaller batch of XOs and can be sustained by a mesh architecture.
This approach can serve to be an important research test bed for sustainable IT, adoption of computer-mediated education, curriculum development, etc.
Time Frame
We would like to get the project initiated around August to October of 2009, which would begin with teacher training and local implementation. This will be followed by frequent assessments.
Funding
As is the case with most deployments, the potential owners of the XOs and their families cannot afford to pay for these technologies. The funding for this project will have to come from a research grant, donation, or some combination thereof.
Why Maroantsetra?
Maroantsetra is a regional capital in Madagascar with one of the poorest educational performances nationally as the local infrastructure and government funding is unequally allocated to this area. Training in computers and the enhanced interest given to a computer-mediated educational system may provide some of these students with a leg up in joining the leagues of university students. The Betsimisaraka and Tsimihety tribes which comprise the majority of the population in Maroantsetra are gravely underrepresented in national politics and job structures. It is my hope that an improved education system may assist this population in attaining nationally recognized test scores and educational performance.
Contact
"June Kleider" <jkleider@sonic.net>