A developing country is a poor agricultural country that is seeking to become more advanced economically and socially. Developing nations are by nature economically poor, less education, less industrialized, and overall lack access to new technologies. Based on this definition, it is not surprising to state that education in developing nations is far behind that in countries in the first world. Classrooms in developing nations, especially in Africa, tend to be overcrowded and underfunded. Parents have little involvement because of time and monetary constraints and more often than not boys are often more educated than girls. In the end, up to 50% of the population in developing nations do not even attend school.
Finding competent teachers in these areas is extremely difficult. Ultimately every good teacher must be an instructional designer as well because this is simply a role that does not exist in the most basic education. Because of an overall lack of technology, teachers in these nations must be extremely resourceful and use "technology" in ways that may not seem advanced at all to the rest of the world. Students must work with the tools they have to learn.
One uplifting fact about education in developing nations it ate even relatively undeveloped nations starting to use Elearning as a means of bridging the education gap that exists between developed and underdeveloped nations.. Many technologies initiatives have also been introduced in India, Africa, and other impoverished regions to help further education in hopes of helping developing nations begin to be more self sufficient and start solving many of their own problems. (see resources below for more information)
Additional Sources of Information:
Examples of Initiatives to Improve Technologies in Developing Countries:
Finding competent teachers in these areas is extremely difficult. Ultimately every good teacher must be an instructional designer as well because this is simply a role that does not exist in the most basic education. Because of an overall lack of technology, teachers in these nations must be extremely resourceful and use "technology" in ways that may not seem advanced at all to the rest of the world. Students must work with the tools they have to learn.
One uplifting fact about education in developing nations it ate even relatively undeveloped nations starting to use Elearning as a means of bridging the education gap that exists between developed and underdeveloped nations.. Many technologies initiatives have also been introduced in India, Africa, and other impoverished regions to help further education in hopes of helping developing nations begin to be more self sufficient and start solving many of their own problems. (see resources below for more information)
Additional Sources of Information:
- Click here For an article entitled Utilizing eLearning In Developing Countries: eLearning Breakthroughs In 2015. This article provides amazing statistics on Elearning and some of its successes in the developing world. It also provides case studies on examples from Africa, India, and Latin America. One of the best revelations from this article is "In a country in which roads, transport systems, and wealth vary dramatically by region, eLearning offers a level playing field for all students. Learners in the poorest villages can take advantage of the same educational resources as learners in the most cosmopolitan cities, all thanks to online classes offered at affordable prices." (Wilson, 2015)
- Click here for an article entitled Towards an Instructional Design Model for Learning Environments with Limited ICT Resources in Higher Education. This paper gives information on how to create effective classrooms in countries with limited resources. It highlights the importance of investing in ICT in developing nations to help students and teachers work with computers, better communicate using electronic technology, help school administrators and most importantly improve teaching and learning in the classroom as a whole.
Examples of Initiatives to Improve Technologies in Developing Countries:
1. A BBC documentary- Laptops for Africa
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) & the Intel ClassMate projects are committed to providing computers to children in developing countries. This documentary illustrates some of the hardships and success of this 2012 initiative.
2. ICTs changing education in developing countries: Richard Rowe
A speech given by Richard Rowe, CEO of of the Open Learning Exchange, Inc. Rowe's speech focuses on the 90% of children in the world under the age of 18 and their educational futures. This article speaks more about our responsibility to help serve the underdeveloped nations and how to connect to them better.