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National Summit on Africa, Working Paper on Education and Culture, February 2000 A NEW AGE FOR AFRICA The second largest continent, Africa is home to nearly 800 million people in 54 countries, with over 1,000 ethnic groups - and even more languages and dialects. This rich ethnic, cultural and historical mix offers one of the greatest opportunities and challenges for educational initiatives. To thrive in the 21st century, education in Africa must at once respect local cultures, bridge national differences, and meet global standards. ADDRESSING EDUCATIONAL NEED IN AFRICA Education is a human right. It fosters not only intellectual enrichment and personal opportunity, but economic development, cultural dialogue, and greater peace and security. Today 80 million African boys and girls are not in school, and fewer than 2 percent who begin school go on to a college education. Schools in many countries lack books, teachersą guides, or chairs. Access to computers and the Internet is rare or nonexistent for many African students. At a time when poverty, civil wars and the AIDS epidemic are also threatening the future of Africa it is particularly distressing that many Africans lack the educational opportunities which could help alleviate some of these problems. EDUCATION AS THE KEY TO AFRICA'S FUTURE Educating the next generation of Africa is vital not only to Africa but also to the world. Quite simply, like poverty and disease, illiteracy and ignorance affect all people around the world. Education remains Africa's most powerful development engine. Partnerships involving Americans and Africans at all levels, institutions and associations, and public and private, will open opportunities for economic growth, intellectual enrichment, cultural exchanges, human rights protection, greater national security, and sustainable developments in human capacity for Africans and Americans. AFRICAST EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION Just as AFRICASTV recognizes the essential role of television and the Internet in the global community, so the emerging Africast Foundation sees education and opportunity as vital to Africa's future. And at the beginning of this new millennium, education, the Internet and television are virtually inseparable. Africast plans to both educate the next generation of Africans, and to link them with the peoples and resources of a global community. The Africast Foundation proposes to: a) Through television, help improve education about Africa in the United States and the world. The ultimate result should be a new and more accurate perception of Africa's role in the world, so as to create new behaviors toward Africa and Africans and their New World descendants. b) Promote expanded educational opportunities for students in Africa. c) Provide wider, easier Internet access for Africans, and help link more Africans with each other and other countries through the Internet and associated technologies. d) Facilitate the creation of an Afro-New World identity among the constituent populations that recognizes and appreciates both commonalties and diversity. COMPUTER ACCESS ON A MASSIVE SCALE The Africast Foundation has been aggregating large quantities of used computers from various sources to be refurbished at its Community CyberCenters in Africa. According to a study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the year 2000, over 30 million PC's, mostly 486 and Pentium machines, were retired in the U.S. alone. The Africast Foundation intends to set up free computer labs in African schools and community centers, and sees this as the fastest way to increase computer and Internet access on a massive scale. The Foundation seeks to work with companies and organizations willing to donate retired companies. AFFORDABLE INTERNET ACCESS In both rural and urban areas, it is crucial that the next generation of Africans grow up computer-savvy. African students will simply not be able to receive a world-class education or hope to thrive in a global society without computer education and Internet access. Recognizing not just the importance but the sheer necessity of Internet access, the Africast Foundation holds as one of its biggest goals the expansion of free Internet access for more Africans, and a major effort to link African computer users with the world beyond Africa. Because landline Internet connectivity has proved problematic in many African countries, broadening wireless Internet access is crucial. DISTANCE LEARNING CENTERS / ePALS The Foundation works to build distance learning centers in selected schools in Africa where students can exchange knowledge with other students in a worldwide network. Africast has already begun such an initiative in collaboration with ePALS. ePALS is the world's largest online classroom community, connecting over 2 million students and teachers. Members from over 65,000 classrooms in 182 countries use ePALS' free online collaborative technology. Since 1996, ePALS has offered teachers a way to integrate the use of technology into the classroom and help educate students on world history, culture and the emerging global community. The Africast Foundation hopes to expand the use of ePALS to ensure even greater interaction between students throughout Africa and the world. PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN AFRICANS AND AMERICANS The United States has longer suffered from widespread ignorance and misconceptions about Africa, and the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history. These gaps in knowledge and the negative portrayals of Africa not only impact populations of African descent in the U.S. but also adversely affect U.S. attitudes and policies towards Africa. By providing both information about African culture and links with the African community, the Africast Foundation seeks to educate a global community about the realities of Africa today - and throughout history. Both the Africast Foundation and AFRICASTV share the following objectives:
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