The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) is now planning to organize a Seminar for High-Level Experts on Policy Formulation and Practical Usage of ICTs for Higher Distance Education in Countries in Africa (HDECA). The event will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 29 October to 01 November 2002.

During the event high-level experts from several African countries will try to identify the ways and modes of policy formulation and practical usage of ICTs in Higher Distance Education in the African Countries. The keynote speakers and moderators at the seminar are Prof. G.S. Eshiwani, Prof. W. Mackintosh, and Prof. M.G. Moore. They will share experiences in DE development and training DE personnel and will get familiar with IITE educational programme, particularly, its component concerning ICTs in distance education. One of the expected outcomes of the seminar is preparing participants for planning of training and re-training of educational personnel in higher distance education in their countries.

The preparation to the event will start with the launching by IITE of a new online seminar “Policy issues and practice for ICT usage in higher distance education”. An interactive discussion of working documents using the IITE virtual tools will be organized. The participants will be able to get prepared to the Kenya seminar studying the documents and answering the questionnaires online, discussing critical issues with moderators via the forum and mailing lists.