DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS TRANSFER OF 5O TRAINED COMMUNITY INSTRUCTORS (CHANGE AGENTS) TO 5000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN 30 DISTRICTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
1.1 Background
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have enabled society to evolve towards electronic participation, promoting inclusive online engagement, global exchange of information on government knowledge and innovative civic technology.
However, in Uganda like other developing countries, the digital literacy levels are very low especially in the rural and marginal-urban areas.
As part of the Government’s efforts to bridge the digital-divide, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has used the Rural Communications Development Fund (UCUSAF) to support school’s computer laboratory infrastructure as a platform to provide basic digital literacy skills to the communities around the schools, which has contributed to the reduction of the digital-divide in the country.
UCC also embarked on a digital literacy campaign throughout the country with a goal of equipping over one million informal sector people with the digital literacy skills they need to boost their businesses and improve their daily lives.
On the other hand, the Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology (UICT) has embarked on providing market-driven ICT skills training and amongst others targeting communities countrywide. To that effect, a specialized programme has been designed to upskill citizens by bringing them online and providing digital skills training in their communities.
UCC partnered with UICT to train digital literacy skills to the community members in the unserved and the underserved communities across the country. The first phase under the collaboration had a training of trainers (TOT) programme of five hundred (500) participants (Change agents) trained in 95 districts online. The participants were equipped with basic and intermediate digital skills as well as trainer skills.
This second phase focuses on building on the first phase in which a selected number of 300 trained agents will in turn impart digital literacy skills to 15,000 people among their local communities in Uganda. The training of the 15,000 participants shall be conducted in a phased approach. The delivery model is expected to be Open, Distance and e-Learning (ODeL).
This phase will involve training five thousand (5,000) participants from thirty (30) selected districts across the country, conducted by 50 out of the 300 of the recently trained change agents in the respective districts. UICT shall oversee and supervise this project.
1.2 Project Goal and Objectives
The main goal of the project is to equip learners from communities with competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes) in the safe and ethical use of digital technology needed to access services, create learning opportunities, to pursue their chosen careers, become entrepreneurs and to contribute to society as active citizens.
The specific objectives include:
- To bridge the digital divide and foster digital citizenship
- To empower communities and make them digitally literate
- To facilitate utilization of citizen services through digital means
- To create learning interest
- To improve life skills
- To improve employment opportunities and entrepreneurship