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There
is a shortage of good quality
technical service centres
in Africa and therefore
many imported PCs do not
get adequately refurbished.
This problem will be compounded
if volumes of imports do
start to increase. It is
important to invest in the
creation and development
of a large number of technical
service centres throughout
Africa. Not only will this
ensure the usability of
imported PCs, it will also
create employment and encourage
IT skills development in
local communities.
The
establishment of more
technical service centres
is important to the process
of offering total ICT
solutions to African schools.
Refurbishment skills go
hand in hand with maintenance
skills, so development
of technical service centres
can double as development
of providers of technical
support and maintenance
to schools.
It
is important that these
technical service centres
become a strong voice
for ICTs in schools and
the education sector in
each African country.
They need to create contacts
with key actors in the
ICT, education and telecommunication
sectors in order to provide
them with influence and
leverage.
It
is unclear how many governments
in Africa have begun including
policies regarding the
import and use of refurbished
computers in their educational
technology planning, but
it is worth re-emphasizing
that this is a priority
for successful deployment
of large numbers of refurbs
in Africa. These policies
with respect to refurbs
should cover at least:
- Technical standards
for refurbished hardware
and software,
- Research and development
(including evaluations
of different access
models via pilot programmes,
assessments of social
and environmental impact
of importing refurbs
and disposal strategies
for end-of-life equipment),
- Funding and procurement
of resources (including
all resources required
to create workable computer
laboratories in schools),
- Distribution strategies
and criteria (including
numbers required, locations,
infrastructure and support
requirements),
- Maintenance (including
access to spare parts
and technical support,
as well as the development
of local refurbishment
and maintenance resources),
- Educator training
(including the development
of ICT specialists within
schools), and
- Creating measurable
learner development.
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